Phylogenetic relationships in Agaricus (Agaricales, Agaricaceae) from the Neotropical region with a focus on Brazilian diversity

• Grant number: 25/04051-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Plant Taxonomy
• Principal Investigator: Nelson Menolli Junior
• Grantee: Denis Augusto Zabin
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais (IPA). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/15677-0 - Mushrooms in the Atlantic Forest: diversity and potential of edible species, AP.BTA.JP

Abstract

Agaricus (Agaricaceae, Agaricomycetes) is a monophyletic genus of mushrooms widely distributed around the world, represented by approximately 600 currently recognized species and classified into six subgenera. Besides its ecological importance as a decomposer in the soil, the genus also includes economically and culturally significant species due to their recognized edibility, therapeutic value, or toxicity of their basidiomes. Despite its importance and the large number of described species, the genus is underrepresented in taxonomic studies in the Neotropical region, including Brazil, and its potential diversity remains unknown, as well as the edibility or toxicity of the species occurring in Brazil. Recently, aiming for a more robust infrageneric classification and the integration of various newly elucidated tropical lineages from new DNA sequences, a new taxonomic classification system for Agaricus has been proposed. This system, based on divergence times between clades using a calibrated molecular clock combined with morphological data, has been widely accepted, and new contributions to the diversity of the genus in tropical regions have been made. However, Neotropical specimens remain relatively underrepresented. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by incorporating sequences from Brazilian specimens into dated multigene phylogenetic analyses coupled with morphological studies and a revision of Neotropical types. The results of this study could significantly contribute to a better understanding of the diversity of the genus Agaricus in Brazil, refining its current infrageneric classification, providing new insights into its biogeographical history, and clarifying the potential edibility of Brazilian species.