Amanita is a large genus of about 600 species worldwide which includes both mushroom-like and truffle-like species. Amanita aff. grandis KIS10 TL2892 is amongst the larger of the small truffle-like Amanitas found in Australia. The spore body is white, irregularly spheroidal and attached to a white stem whose expansion cracks open the soil surface. It is probably an ectomycorrhizal species occurring on Kangaroo Island in a symbiotic association with Eucalyptus diversifolia, supplying the tree with minerals and water in return for products of photosynthesis. E. diversifolia can grow in harsh conditions and in depleted lateritic soils in Western Australia, South Australia, and Victoria. The collection was made as part of a project investigating the transition from mushroom-like fungi to truffle-like fungi. The mushroom-like Amanita species include Amanita aff. conicoverrucosa, which occurs in the same area of Kangaroo Island and is also thought to be in an ectomycorrizal association with Eucalyptus diversifolia. Comparison of the genomes of A. aff. conicoverrucosa and A. aff. grandis is anticipated to help understand this transition toward a subterranean lifestyle which is believed to be an adaptation to a drying climate, a trait with economic potential in future forestry. We request that researchers wishing to publish analyses of this genome prior to its publication by the consortium to please email [email protected] and JGI for permission.
