This U.S.-Brazil Cooperative Science Program award will support collaboration by Richard Hanlin of the University of Georgia and Maria Menezes of the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco in Brazil. The project aims to collect, identify, and prepare illustrated descriptions of Brazilian ascomycetes. Ascomycetes comprise a major component of fungal flora in the tropics. Many species grow parasitically on plants; some cause diseases that imperil crops. They are often poorly identified and understood. The rapid loss of native tropical flora makes it important to learn as much about endemic fungi as possible before more species are destroyed. The researchers, accompanied by two graduate students working under Hanlin, will focus on plant pathogenic species, but will collect species from other substrates. They will verify identification by comparison with type material. Also, they will try to grow species collected in pure culture and study possible anamorphs. U.S. and Brazilian students and technicians will learn methods for working with ascomycetes. A book, Illustrated Genera of Ascomycetes, will be published in Portuguese. Both the U.S. and Brazilian sides will benefit from the training of junior participants and expansion of the knowledge base on endangered ascomycetes in the tropics.
