Funded by: Artsdatabanken
Thelephorales are fungi that form ectomycorrhiza with trees and shrubs. They have stipitate, clavarioid or, more commonly, thin, effused (corticioid) fruiting bodies. While species with erect fruiting bodies are well studied, the inconspicuous effused species are only fragmentary known in Norway and other Nordic countries. A recent survey of wood-inhabiting fungi in conifer and mixed forests in SE Norway discovered 37 effused Thelephorales, six of which were new to Norway and two new to science. In this project we make a special effort to sample Thelephorales and extend field-work to different vegetation types in all regions of Norway. A selection of specimens will be molecularly characterized in order to reveal cryptic species and as reference for molecular identification (DNA barcoding) of environmental samples from soil ecology research.