Phylogeny, taxonomy, host specialization, and evolutionary trends in the smut fungi of Ustilaginomycotina in Bulgaria and Greece
About
project
Funding organization: Bulgarian National Science Fund, Grant no. KP-06-N91/6/03.12.2025.
Basic Project Organization: Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBER-BAS)
Project Coordinator: Prof. Cvetomir M. Denchev, PhD
Contract
Period: 2025 – 2028.
Aim of
the project
The aim of this project is to study the phylogeny, taxonomy, host specialization, and evolutionary trends in the subphylum Ustilaginomycotina in Bulgaria and Greece and to publish a monograph on the smut fungi in Bulgaria and Greece in order to reveal the actual species diversity.
To achieve this aim, the following approaches will be applied: (1) molecular study and multilocus phylogenetic analysis of smut fungi from Bulgaria and Greece; (2) comparative morphological study of these fungal species in light microscope and SEM; (3) host specialization analysis of the species based on molecular data; (4) chorological study to establish new chorological data of the smut fungi; and (5) assessment of the conservation status of smut fungi based on the IUCN SSC criteria and preparation of Red List of the smut fungi in Bulgaria and Greece.
No such comprehensive monographic study of the smut fungi has been conducted in Bulgaria and Greece.
Expected results
The following results are expected: (1) a monograph of the smut fungi in Bulgaria and Greece, (2) publication of Red List of the smut fungi in Bulgaria and Greece, (3) determination and analysis of the extent of host specialization of species of critical genera of smut fungi, (4) description of new-to-science smut fungi, and (5) publication of new-to-Bulgaria and Greece smut fungi and new host plants of smut fungi already reported for these countries.
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| Portalia uljanishcheviana – spores in SEM. | Portalia uljanishcheviana on Scirpoides holoschoenus, Greece. |
Research Articles
Denchev, T.T. & Denchev, C.M. 2025. Portalia uljanishcheviana (Anthracoideaceae), a rare smut fungus newly recorded from Greece. – Mycobiota 15: 7–13. https://doi.org/10.12664/mycobiota.2025.15.02.
Achieved results