Systematics of Australian mycorrhizal Ceratobasidium (Ceratobasidiaceae)

Ceratobasidium is a genus of cryptic basidiomycetous fungi spanning a diversity of trophic modes including orchid mycorrhizal symbionts, saprotrophs, and plant pathogens that are responsible for billion-dollar losses annually in a wide variety of crops worldwide, making the genus highly economically significant. Recent studies have identified a diversity of Ceratobasidium lineages associated with Australian orchids that remain undescribed and poorly understood.Using the ABRS NTRGP PhD Scholarship Support Grant, this PhD project aims to use genomic sequencing, phylogenomics, and comparative genomics to delineate Australian mycorrhizal species of Ceratobasidium, understand their evolution, and provide tools to aid in their identification.