Systematics and Biogeography of Cyathus Haller species (Nidulariaceae, Basidiomycota)
Bird’s Nest Fungi, Biogeography, Evolution, Gasteroid Fungi, Systematics.
In recent years, knowledge about gasteroid fungi has increased significantly, with new species and records being constantly published. Despite this, the origin and evolution of these organisms remain a gap to science, with few studies discussing the evolutionary history of the group. Given the planet's biogeographical past, it is known that various palaeogeographical events have influenced the diversity of organisms worldwide. The genus Cyathus is a gasteroid fungus that exhibits unique characteristics compared to other groups. Knowledge of the genus has increased exponentially in the last decade; however, studies have focused primarily on understanding phylogenetic relationships, providing data that can support ecological and biogeographical research. In this scenario, the relationship between the environment and the global distribution of Cyathus was investigated, trying to understand its evolutionary history and possible speciation patterns. To this, morphological and molecular data from the ITS and LSU nrDNA regions were used to estimate divergence times in Cyathus. Furthermore, an ancestral biogeographic reconstruction was performed to understand the genus origin and diversification. The analyses supported the hypothesis that the environment influenced the current distribution of the genus, affecting species irradiation. The morphological characters used to delimit species evidence a pattern of adaptation to the environmental pressures encountered during the group's evolutionary history. Additionally, seven new species are proposed, along with a global phylogeny for the genus including all species described until now.