Polyphyly, asexual reproduction and dual trophic mode in Buchwaldoboletus

Most Boletaceae form ectomycorrhizas but species in two sister groups (subfamily Chalciporoideae and the genus Pseudoboletus) have unclear trophic modes and are putatively mycoparasitic. Chalciporoideae is the earliest diverging lineage in Boletaceae and includes Chalciporus and Buchwaldoboletus. Buchwaldoboletus species fruit on wood and were thought to be saprobes, but the type species Buchwaldoboletus lignicola is mycoparasitic on the wood decay fungus Phaeolus schweinitzii. However, the nutritional mode and host range of B. lignicola and other Buchwaldoboletus remain unclear. We obtained fresh collections and axenic cultures of B. lignicola, B. hemichrysus and B. sphaerocephalus from the southeastern USA. We use cultures to examine the phylogenetic relationships among taxa in Chalciporoideae, elucidate the trophic mode of Buchwaldoboletus species and test the effect that Buchwaldoboletus species have on wood decay. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that the Chalciporus lineage is sister to all other Boletaceae but suggests that Buchwaldoboletus is not monophyletic. Confrontation experiments on agar suggest that Buchwaldoboletus species might parasitize a wide range of decay fungi. Buchwaldoboletus hemichrysus and B. sphaerocephalus produce abundant conidia in culture whereas the more distantly related B. lignicola produces sclerotia. Wood decay assays show that Buchwaldoboletus species did not have a significant effect on the decay caused by wood decay fungi. Interestingly, when B. lignicola or B. hemichrysus were inoculated alone on wood both species decayed wood, producing a brown rot that can cause 35–65% mass loss over 6 months. Our results suggest that Buchwaldoboletus species have a dual trophic mode as saprobes and mycoparasites.