Pringle explains how one can use a “reverse ecology” approach to describe and characterize different organisms and their habitats, by studying their genes. Her laboratory used this approach to study the origins of the Bay Area Amanita phalloides. Although Amanita phalloides was thought to be an invasive species, historical records were mostly descriptive and hard to use as concrete evidence of the species’ biogeography. Using genetic information, the Pringle laboratory was able to definitively prove that early samples identified as Amanita phalloides in the US are distinct from the European species. They also used molecular data to document the symbiotic associations between Amanitaphalloides and plants, proving the efficacy of these approaches to study species that are hard to grow in the lab.
View the full talk with additional resources on our website
The Complex Kingdom of Fungi, and the Story Behind Bay Area Amanita Phalloides
Anne Pringle provides an overview of the vastly diverse and complex world of fungi, and tells us the story behind Bay Area Amanita phalloides. (Talk recorded in February 2017)
- Part 1: Introduction to FungiAudience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 00:30:02 - Part 2: Reverse Ecology: A Tool to Understand the Natural Histories of Cryptic Organisms, Including Amanita PhalloidesAudience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 00:31:04 - Part 3: Convergent Interactions and the Genome Architectures of Symbiotic FungiAudience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 00:27:46