Skip to main content
Log in

Two new species of Morchella from Nothofagus forests in Northwestern Patagonia (Chile)

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Mycological Progress Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In Chile, species of true morels have traditionally been identified on the basis of few morphological characteristics, but overall the genus Morchella has been poorly investigated and no studies combining morphological with molecular data exist. Here, Morchella collections from native forests of Nothofagus in Chilean Patagonia were characterized by combining morphological taxonomy with four-gene phylogenetic analysis. The phylogenetic relationships inferred from the concatenated dataset revealed that all collections belonged to the species-rich Elata clade and two new species were identified, which are formally described as M. andinensis and M. aysenina. Morchella andinensis was previously reported under the phylogenetic code Mel-37 from Argentinean Patagonia, while M. aysenina, which did not cluster with any other previously published groups of sequences, could be endemic to Chilean Patagonia. A third species, the transcontinental M. tridentina, is reported for the first time in Chile. It is hoped that these results will contribute to the limited knowledge of the genus Morchella in Chile and southern South America. Morchella andinensis and M. tridentina from Chilean and Argentinean Patagonia and M. aysenina constitute the southernmost collections of morels in the Southern Hemisphere.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information files).

Code availability

Not applicable.

References

  • Armstrong JB (1880) On the occurrence of the morel (Morchella esculenta, Pl.) in New Zealand. Trans Proc R Soc N Z 13:343–344

    Google Scholar 

  • Arora D (1986) Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley 959 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Baroni TJ, Beug MW, Cantrell SA, Clements TA, Iturriaga T, Laessoe T, Rojas MEH, Aguilar FM, Quispe MO, Lodge DJ, O’Donnell K (2018) Four new species of Morchella from the Americas. Mycologia 110:1205–1221

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clowez P (2012) Les morilles une nouvelle approche mondiale du genere Morchella. Bull Soc Mycol Fr 126:199–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Du X-H, Zhao Q, Hansen K, Taşkın H, Büyükalaca S, Dewsbury D, Moncalvo JM, Douhan GW, Robert VA, Crous PW, Rehner SA, Rooney AP, Sink S, O’Donnell K (2012a) How well do ITS rDNA sequences differentiate species of true morels (Morchella)? Mycologia 104:1351–1368

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du X-H, Zhao Q, O’Donnell K, Rooney AP, Yang ZL (2012b) Multigene molecular phylogenetics reveals true morels (Morchella) are especially species-rich in China. Fungal Genet Biol 49:455–469

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Du X-H, Zhao Q, Yang ZL (2015) A review on research advances, issues, and perspectives of morels. Mycology 6:78–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du X-H, Wu D-M, He G-Q, Wei W, Xu N, Li T-L (2019) Six new species and two new records of Morchella in China using phylogenetic and morphological analyses. Mycologia 111:857–870

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Elliot TF, Bougher NL, O’Donnell K, Trappe JM (2014) Morchella australiana sp. nov., an apparent Australian endemic from New South Wales and Victoria. Mycologia 106:113–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Espinosa M (1929) Contribución al conocimiento de los hongos chilenos. Bol Mus Hist Nat 12:130

    Google Scholar 

  • Gamundí IJ (1975) Fungi, Ascomycetes, Pezizales. In: Flora criptogámica de Tierra del Fuego, tomo X, fascículo 3, FECIC, Buenos Aires, 184 pp

  • Gamundí IJ (2010) Genera of Pezizales of Argentina1. An updating of selected genera. Mycotaxon 113:1–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardes M, Bruns TD (1993) ITS primers with enhanced specificity for basidiomycetes application to the identification of mycorrhizae and rusts. Mol Ecol 2:113–118

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gates G, Ratkowsky D (2016) A field guide to Tasmanian Fungi, 2nd edn. Club, Tasmanian Field Naturalists 249 pp., ISBN 978-0-9578529-4-5

    Google Scholar 

  • Guzmán G, Tapia F (1998) The known morel in Mexico, a description of a new blushing species, Morchella rufobrunnea and new data on M. guatemalensis. Mycologia 90:705–714

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • INFOR (2016) Productos Forestales No Madereros. Available online at http://wef.infor.cl/publicaciones/publicaciones.php?subopcion=6

  • Kumar S, Stecher G, Li M, Knyaz C, Tamura K (2018) MEGA X: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis across computing platforms. Mol Biol Evol 35:1547–1549

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuo M (2005) Morels. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor 205 p

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kuo M, Dewsbury DR, O’Donnell K, Carter MC, Rehner SA, Moore JD, Moncalvo J-M, Canfield SA, Stephenson SL, Methven AS, Volk TJ (2012) Taxonomic revision of true morels (Morchella) in Canada and the United States. Mycologia 104:1159–1177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loizides M, Alvarado P, Clowez P, Moreau P-A, de la Osa LR, Palazón A (2015) Morchella tridentina, M. rufobrunnea, and M. kakiicolor: a study of three poorly known Mediterranean morels, with nomenclatural updates in section Distantes. Mycol Prog 14:1–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loizides M, Bellanger J-M, Clowez P, Richard F, Moreau P-A (2016) Combined phylogenetic and morphological studies of true morels (Pezizales, Ascomycota) in Cyprus reveal significant diversity, including Morchella arbutiphila and M. disparilis spp. nov. Mycol Prog 15:1–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masaphy S, Zabari L, Goldberg D, Jander-Shagug G (2010) The complexity of Morchella systematics: a case of the yellow morel from Israel. Fungi 32:14–18

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Donnell K, Rooney AP, Mills GL, Kuo M, Weber NS, Rehner SA (2011) Phylogeny and historical biogeography of true morels (Morchella) reveals an early Cretaceous origin and high continental endemism and provincialism in the Holarctic. Fungal Genet Biol 48:252–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palfner G (2001) Taxonomische Studien an Ektomykorrhizen aus den Nothofagus - Wäldern Mittelsüdchiles. Bibl Mycol 190 243 pp., ISBN 3-443-59092-6

  • Palfner G, Casanova-Katny A (2019) Comparison of the Mycobiota in remnants of native forests and forest plantations in the Arauco peninsula of the BíoBío region, highlighting functional and conservation aspects. In: C. Smith-Ramírez, F.A. Squeo, eds.: Biodiversidad y Ecología de los Bosques Costeros de Chile, Editorial Universidad de Los Lagos: 175–210

  • Pildain MB, Visnovsky SB, Barroetaveña C (2014) Phylogenetic diversity of true morels (Morchella), the main edible non-timber product from native Patagonian forests of Argentina. Fungal Biol 118:755–763

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pilz D, McLain R, Alexander S, Villarreal-Ruiz L, Berch S, Wurtz T L, Parks CG, McFarlane E, Baker B, Molina R, Smith JE (2007) Ecology and management of morels harvested from the forests of western North America. Corvallis, OR. PNW-GTR-710. USDA, Forest Service

  • Richard F, Bellanger J-M, Clowez P, Hansen K, O’Donnell K, Urban A, Sauve M, Courtecuisse R, Moreau P-A (2015) True morels (Morchella, Pezizales) of Europe and North America: evolutionary relationships inferred from multilocus data and a unified taxonomy. Mycologia 107:359–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandoval L (2017) Identificación molecular de especies del hongo comestible Morchella spp. colectadas en las regiones del BioBío, Araucanía y Aysén, Thesis, Universidad de Concepción, Chile, 24 p

  • Spegazzini C (1909) Mycetes Argentinenses. Serie 4. Anales Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Buenos Aires 19: 257–458

  • Spegazzini C (1918) Tercera Contribución a la Micología Chilena. Rev Chil Hist Nat 22:30–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Spegazzini C (1921) Mycetes Chilensis. Boletín de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias, Córdoba 25: 1–24

  • Taşkın H, Büyükalaca S, Dogan HH, Rehner SA, O’Donnell K (2010) A multigene molecular phylogenetic assessment of true morels (Morchella) in Turkey. Fungal Genet Biol 47:672–682

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taşkın H, Büyükalaca S, Hansen K, O’Donnell K (2012) Multilocus phylogenetic analysis of true morels (Morchella) reveals high levels of endemics in Turkey relative to other regions of Europe. Mycologia 104:446–461

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voitk A, Beug MW, O’Donnell K, Burzinsky M (2016) Two new species of true morels from Newfoundland and Labrador: Cosmopolitan Morchella eohespera and parochial M. laurentiana. Mycologia 108:31–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White TJ, Bruns T, Lee S, Taylor J (1990) Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics. In: Innis MA, Gelfand DH, Sninsky JJ, White TJ (eds) PCR Protocols: A guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 315–322

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We particularly wish to thank the collectors of the Aysén Region of Chilean Patagonia for their valuable collaboration with the location of the morel fruiting sites and information about the growing habit of the fungus in the field. We are also grateful for the collaboration of C. Gómez, F. Silva, and D. Montenegro in the field work and R. Oliva (UdeC) for the SEM images. We appreciate the valuable contributions of the reviewers of the first version of this manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by the Research Fund for the Native Forest of the Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF-Chile) (project FIBN 077/2013).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. AM, GP, MG, PO, DCh, and YG did sample collection, material preparation, and data analysis. AM, MG, CC, and DCh wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors commented on previous versions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela Machuca.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval

Not applicable.

Consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Section Editor: Zhu-Liang Yang

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

ESM 1

(PNG 61096 kb)

High Resolution (TIF 1274 kb)

ESM 2

(DOCX 31 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Machuca, A., Gerding, M., Chávez, D. et al. Two new species of Morchella from Nothofagus forests in Northwestern Patagonia (Chile). Mycol Progress 20, 781–795 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11557-021-01703-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11557-021-01703-x

Keywords

Navigation