Collection
What is a Species
- Submission status
- Closed
The abstract of Chethana et al. (2021), gives insight into the approach of how to define and recognize a species and introduces the concept of the topical collection.
[...] Defining and recognizing species has long been a controversial issue. Since Darwin's proposed origin of species, over 30 species criteria have been brought forth and used to define species boundaries. In recent times, phylogenetic analyses based on multiple loci have been extensively used as a method to define species boundaries. However, only a few mycologists are aware that phylogenetic species criteria can mask discordances among fungal groups, leading to inaccurately defined species boundaries. In the current review, we discuss species recognition criteria, how and where these criteria can be applied along with their limitations and derived alternatives. In order to delimit fungal species, authors need to take into account not only the phylogenetic and phenotypic coherence, but also the timing of events that lead to fungal speciation and subsequent diversifications. Variations in the rate of phenotypic diversifications and convergent fungal evolution make it difficult to establish a universal species recognition criterion. The best practice can only be defined in the context of each fungal group. In this review, we provide a set of guidelines, encouraging an integrative taxonomic approach for species delimitation that can be used to define fungal species boundaries in the future. The other papers in this special issue deal with fungal speciation in Ascomycota, Dothideomycetes, Basidiomycota, basal fungi, lichen-forming fungi, plant pathogenic fungi, and yeasts.
Chethana, K.W.T., Manawasinghe, I.S., Hurdeal, V.G. et al. What are fungal species and how to delineate them?. Fungal Diversity (2021).
Articles (9 in this collection)
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Delimiting species in Basidiomycota: a review
Authors (first, second and last of 28)
- Bin Cao
- Danny Haelewaters
- Rui-Lin Zhao
- Content type: Review
- Published: 29 September 2021
- Pages: 181 - 237
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Defining a species in fungal plant pathology: beyond the species level
Authors (first, second and last of 13)
- Ishara S. Manawasinghe
- Alan J. L. Phillips
- Ratchadawan Cheewangkoon
- Content type: OriginalPaper
- Published: 10 August 2021
- Pages: 267 - 282
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Integrative approaches for species delimitation in Ascomycota
Authors (first, second and last of 13)
- Sajeewa S. N. Maharachchikumbura
- Yanpeng Chen
- Marc Stadler
- Content type: Review
- Published: 12 August 2021
- Pages: 155 - 179
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Species in lichen-forming fungi: balancing between conceptual and practical considerations, and between phenotype and phylogenomics
Authors
- Robert Lücking
- Steven D. Leavitt
- David L. Hawksworth
- Content type: Review
- Open Access
- Published: 08 August 2021
- Pages: 99 - 154
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What is a species in fungal plant pathogens?
Authors (first, second and last of 19)
- Ruvishika S. Jayawardena
- Kevin D. Hyde
- Marco Thines
- Content type: Review
- Published: 11 August 2021
- Pages: 239 - 266
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Early-diverging fungal phyla: taxonomy, species concept, ecology, distribution, anthropogenic impact, and novel phylogenetic proposals
Authors (first, second and last of 18)
- Kerstin Voigt
- Timothy Y. James
- Hyang Burm Lee
- Content type: Review
- Open Access
- Published: 29 September 2021
- Pages: 59 - 98
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Species concepts of Dothideomycetes: classification, phylogenetic inconsistencies and taxonomic standardization
Authors (first, second and last of 7)
- Dhandevi Pem
- Rajesh Jeewon
- Kevin David Hyde
- Content type: Review
- Published: 25 August 2021
- Pages: 283 - 319
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The evolving species concepts used for yeasts: from phenotypes and genomes to speciation networks
Authors (first, second and last of 12)
- Teun Boekhout
- M. Catherine Aime
- Andrey Yurkov
- Content type: Review
- Open Access
- Published: 26 June 2021
- Pages: 27 - 55