This project is designed to document the diversity of fleshy fungi (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) in the alpine tundra zone of the Rocky Mountains, and will be the first survey of arctic-alpine mushrooms in North America outside of Alaska. The Agaricales are a diverse group of fungi, with an estimated 80,000 species world wide. They are ecologically important in terms of mycorrhizal associations and nutrient recycling. While the abundant diversity of arctic-alpine fungi is well-documented for the Alps, Scandinavia, and many parts of the Arctic, the alpine fungi of the whole Rocky Mountain cordillara remain largely unknown. This survey will help close the gap on circumboreal distributions, contribute new species, and provide collections for future evolutionary, ecological, and physiological studies of alpine fungi.
