Contact Information
Phone:(808) 956-8369
Fax: (808) 956-3923
Email: amend@hawaii.edu

Affiliations
Botany, EECB

Statement:

Tricholoma matsutake is an economically important ectomycorrhizal mushroom intensively harvested in culturally Tibetan areas and exported to Japan. A perception that mushroom productivity is declining in this part of China has led to a call for conservation measures. Essential to this task are a better understanding of this species' reproductive biology, population structure and how habitat modification affect these processes. To address these issues I am sampling mycorrhizas and mushrooms of T. matsutake populations in forests of varying logging histories and ages throughout Yunnan Province, China. Using SNP DNA fingerprinting techniques, we assess how population structure interacts with topography, and how genetic mosaicism within "fairy rings" affects the spatial genetic structure of matsutake populations within forest a forest chronosequence. Surveys and interviews will assess local perceptions and attitudes about this resource, as well culturally appropriate data outputs.