Influence of eight years of drought on the fruiting body production of fungi at Kaserstattalm in the Stubai Valley and A revision of the Cortinarius olivaceofuscus clade, and other European greenish dermocyboid taxa based on phylogeny, morphology and pigment chemistry
Student/in: Valaina Lechner, BSc
Termin: 05.02.2026, 09:00 Uhr
Ort: Seminarraum Biologie, Foyer
1. Prüfer/in: ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Ursula Peintner
2. Prüfer/in: Priv.-Doz. Mag. Dr. Martin Kirchmair
Vorsitzende/r: ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jean Nicolas Haas
Interessierte Kolleginnen und Kollegen sind herzlich willkommen!
Abstract
Drought is increasingly becoming a stress factor for a wide variety of organisms, including fungi. In order to investigate the effect of drought on a forest site at Kaserstattalm in the tyrolean Stubai valley three rainout plots (drought simulation) and three control plots (no intervention) were established between 2015 and 2023. The so-called recovery phase took place in 2024. The aim is to analyse the effect of this eight-year long drought on fungal fruiting body production in this habitat. During the recovery phase, I collect fungal fruiting bodies from all plots. For species identification microscopic, macroscopic and molecular methods are used. I compare these data with existing mycorrhizal data and molecular data on soil fungal communities. The statistical analysis should show whether the drought had a lasting effect on the fruiting body production of fungi in this area.
What I am also going to present are the results of another topic: The genus Cortinarius is a very species-rich genus which is divided into several subgenera, including the subgenus Dermocybe. Because of the colourful fruiting bodies Dermocybe traditionally was grouped by pigmentation. To revise the phylogeny, morphology and pigment chemistry of the Olivaceofuscus Clade (“the green ones”) a multigene phylogenetic tree is generated, basidiospores are microscoped and HPTLC for pigment identification is carried out.