Niche differentiation and evolution of the wood decay machinery in the invasive fungus Serpula lacrymans

Ecological niche breadth and the mechanisms facilitating its evolution are fundamental to understanding adaptation to changing environments, persistence of generalist and specialist lineages and the formation of new species. Woody substrates are structurally complex resources utilized by organisms with specialized decay machinery. Wood-decaying fungi represent ideal model systems to study evolution of niche breadth, as they vary greatly in their host range and preferred decay stage of the substrate. In order to dissect the genetic basis for niche specialization in the invasive brown rot fungus Serpula lacrymans, we used phenotyping and integrative analysis of phylogenomic and transcriptomic data to compare this species to wild relatives in the Serpulaceae with a range of specialist to generalist decay strategies. Our results indicate specialist species have rewired regulatory networks active during wood decay towards decreased reliance on enzymatic machinery, and therefore nitrogen-inte...

生态位宽度（ecological niche breadth）及其演化促进机制，是理解生物对环境变化的适应、泛化与特化类群的存续以及新物种形成的核心基础。木质基质属于结构复杂的资源，为携带有特化降解系统的生物所利用。木材腐朽真菌是研究生态位宽度演化的理想模型系统，因其宿主范围与偏好的基质腐朽阶段存在显著差异。为解析入侵性褐腐真菌（brown rot fungus）密粘褶菌（Serpula lacrymans）的生态位特化遗传基础，我们通过表型分型以及系统基因组学（phylogenomics）与转录组学（transcriptomics）数据的整合分析，将该物种与脉革菌科（Serpulaceae）中具备从特化到泛化腐朽策略的野生近缘物种进行对比。本研究结果显示，特化类群已重塑木材腐朽过程中活跃的调控网络，降低了对降解酶系统的依赖，进而实现氮元素整合（nitrogen-inte...）