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New findings of Neurospora in Europe and comparisons of diversity in temperate climates on continental scales

     Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020 and Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102

Jeremy R. Dettman ²
Rachel I. Adams ³

     Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102

Cornelia Boesl
Shahana Sultana ⁴
Till Roenneberg
Martha Merrow ⁵

     Institute for Medical Psychology, Centre for Chronobiology, Goethestraße 31, Ludwig Maximilians University München, 80336 München, Germany

Margarida Duarte
Isabel Marques
Alexandra Ushakova
Patrícia Carneiro
Arnaldo Videira

     Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), and Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, (ICBAS) Universidade do Porto, Portugal

Laura Navarro-Sampedro
María Olmedo
Luis M. Corrochano

     Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes 6, Apartado 1095, E-41080 Sevilla, Spain

John W. Taylor

     Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102

The life cycles of the conidiating species of Neurospora are adapted to respond to fire, which is reflected in their natural history. Neurospora is found commonly on burned vegetation from the tropic and subtropical regions around the world and through the temperate regions of western North America. In temperate Europe it was unknown whether Neurospora would be as common as it is in North America because it has been reported only occasionally. In 2003 and 2004 a multinational effort surveyed wildfire sites in southern Europe. Neurospora was found commonly from southern Portugal and Spain (37° N) to Switzerland (46° N). Species collected included N. crassa, N. discreta, N. sitophila and N. tetrasperma. The species distribution and spatial dynamics of Neurospora populations showed both similarities and differences when compared between temperate Europe and western North America, both regions of similar latitude, climate and vegetation. For example the predominant species in western North America, N. discreta phylogenetic species 4B, is common but not predominant in Europe, whereas species rare in western North America, N. crassa NcB and N. sitophila, are much more common in Europe. The meiotic drive element Spore killer was also common in European populations of N. sitophila and at a higher proportion than anywhere else in the world. The methods by which organisms spread and adapt to new environments are fundamental ecosystem properties, yet they are little understood. The differences in regional diversity, reported here, can form the basis of testable hypotheses. Questions of phylogeography and adaptations can be addressed specifically by studying Neurospora in nature.

Key words: ecology, fire, meiotic drive, natural history, phylogentic species, Spore killer

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