As agents of decomposition and mineral re-cycling, fungi are ecologically important throughout the world but are poorly known. Dr. Jack Rogers of Washington State University is studying one such group, the white-rot genus Xylaria, with an estimated 150 species in the world. Most species decay wood, cause root-rots of trees, or decay fruits, seeds, and leaves. Some species are associated with termite or ant nests. Despite their ecological importance and worldwide distribution, basic taxonomic knowledge of the group is rudimentary and the life-cycles of only are few are understood in detail. Dr. Rogers will work on U.S. species of the group and also on neotropical collections provided by several collaborators, the aims being comprehensive descriptions of the species and their geographical distributions, useful identification keys, and accounts of their basic life-cycles and food-preferences. Techniques of study include laboratory culturing of the organisms, artificial host-plant inoculation where appropriate, and study of morphology by light and electron microscopy.
