Evolution of life traits in mycorrhizal fungi
Harnessing mycorrhizal fungi for a sustainable forest

The major objective of current comparative genomics studies is to explain ecological traits by comparing gene repertoires, and more specifically to study the evolution of genes encoding enzymes involved in the decomposition of organic matter, known as CAZymes (carbohydrate-active enzymes). As part of several fungal genomics projects, the US Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI) has sequenced 1,700 fungi that play an important role in terrestrial ecosystems. This represents a unique opportunity (1) to study the evolution of saprotrophic, endophytic, symbiotic and parasitic fungi by comparing their genomes, and (2) to produce the genomic resources essential for metatranscriptomics programs aimed at studying in situ the functions expressed by fungi in different forest ecosystems. Ultimately, the aim of this program is to reconstruct the evolution of fungi and attempt to explain...