Truffle Tales: Insights into Paedomorphism as the Evolutionary Driver of Truffle-Like Fungi (FWO-Meise)

Lowie Tondeleir
Lowie.Tondeleir@ugent.be

Promotor: Mieke Verbeken
Co-promotors: Mario Amalfi, Jorinde Nuytinck

The remarkable degree of morphological diversity and evolutionary convergence exhibited by mushroom-forming fungi (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) has frequently baffled mycologists.
A suitable theoretic framework to study fungal evolution would involve little and minimal genetic changes to trigger rapid and substantial morphological divergence.
An example that clearly illustrates this convergence in fungal evolution is sequestration - the rapid and frequent evolution of truffle-like fruiting bodies from mushrooms.

In this project, I will explore the genomic, phylogenetic and morphological patterns that underly sequestration. To do so, I will invoke paedomorphism, a heterochronic shift in which the development of a species is decelerated in regard to its ancestor, as an explanatory framework replacing the classic adaptationist, gradualistic approach.

Moreover, I will be focusing on truffle-like Russulaceae through the 'Truffulales' Initiative. Our findings will help us understand how fungal species can rapidly adapt to changing conditions. Furthermore, we will improve our understanding of the genomic basis of this adaptive potential, especially transposons and associated DNA methylation patterns.

If you want to know more about the Truffulales initiative, or want to get involved, check out FunDive