Clarification of the concept of Ganoderma orbiforme with high morphological plasticity

PLoS One. 2014 May 29;9(5):e98733. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0098733. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Ganoderma has been considered a very difficult genus among the polypores to classify and is currently in a state of taxonomic chaos. In a study of Ganoderma collections including numerous type specimens, we found that six species namely G. cupreum, G. densizonatum, G. limushanense, G. mastoporum, G. orbiforme, G. subtornatum, and records of G. fornicatum from Mainland China and Taiwan are very similar to one another in basidiocarp texture, pilear cuticle structure, context color, pore color and basidiospore characteristics. Further, we sequenced the nrDNA ITS region (ITS1 and ITS2) and partial mtDNA SSU region of the studied materials, and performed phylogenetic analyses based on these sequence data. The nrDNA ITS sequence analysis results show that the eight nrDNA ITS sequences derived from this study have single-nucleotide polymorphisms in ITS1 and/or ITS2 at inter- and intra-individual levels. In the nrDNA ITS phylogenetic trees, all the sequences from this study are grouped together with those of G. cupreum and G. mastoporum retrieved from GenBank to form a distinct clade. The mtDNA SSU sequence analysis results reveal that the five mtDNA SSU sequences derived from this study are clustered together with those of G. cupreum retrieved from GenBank and also form a distinct clade in the mtDNA SSU phylogenetic trees. Based on morphological and molecular data, we conclude that the studied taxa are conspecific. Among the names assigned to this species, G. fornicatum given to Asian collections has nomenclatural priority over the others. However, the type of G. fornicatum from Brazil is probably lost and a modern description based on the type lacks. The identification of the Asian collections to G. fornicatum therefore cannot be confirmed. To the best of our knowledge, G. orbiforme is the earliest valid name for use.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • DNA, Fungal
  • DNA, Mitochondrial
  • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / genetics
  • Ganoderma / classification*
  • Ganoderma / genetics
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phenotype*
  • Phylogeny
  • Sequence Alignment

Substances

  • DNA, Fungal
  • DNA, Mitochondrial
  • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer

Associated data

  • GENBANK/JX840345
  • GENBANK/JX840346
  • GENBANK/JX840347
  • GENBANK/JX840348
  • GENBANK/JX840349
  • GENBANK/JX840350
  • GENBANK/JX840351
  • GENBANK/JX840352
  • GENBANK/KC581711
  • GENBANK/KC581712
  • GENBANK/KJ595577
  • GENBANK/KJ595578
  • GENBANK/KJ595579

Grants and funding

This work is supported by Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant of National Science Council (ROC), NO. NSC96-2816-B-178-001, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30270006). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.