Biology

An overview of the higher level classification of Pucciniomycotina based on combined analyses of nuclear large and small subunit rDNA sequences

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In this study we provide a phylogenetically based introduction to the classes and orders of Pucciniomycotina (=Urediniomycetes), one of three subphyla of Basidiomycota. More than 8000 species of Pucciniomycotina have been described including putative saprotrophs and parasites of plants, animals and fungi. The overwhelming majority of these (∼90%) belong to a single order of obligate plant pathogens, the Pucciniales (=Uredinales), or rust fungi. We have assembled a dataset of previously published and newly generated sequence data from two nuclear rDNA genes (large subunit and small subunit) including exemplars from all known major groups in order to test hypotheses about evolutionary relationships among the Pucciniomycotina. The utility of combining nuc-lsu sequences spanning the entire D1-D3 region with complete nuc-ssu sequences for resolution and support of nodes is discussed. Our study confirms Pucciniomycotina as a monophyletic group of Basidiomycota. In total our results support eight major clades ranked as classes (Agaricostilbomycetes, Atractiellomycetes, Classiculomycetes, Cryptomycocolacomycetes, Cystobasidiomycetes, Microbotryomycetes, Mixiomycetes and Pucciniomycetes) and 18 orders. © 2006 by The Mycological Society of America.

Publication Title

Mycologia

Publication Date

11-2006

Volume

98

Issue

6

First Page

896

Last Page

905

ISSN

0027-5514

DOI

10.3852/mycologia.98.6.896

Keywords

Basidiomycetes, Molecular phylogenetics, Parasitic fungi, rDNA systematics, Urediniomycetes

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