Mycology • Evolution • Symbiosis

Discoveries

Bat White Nose Syndrome
Identified fungus Geomyces sp. associated with Bat White Nose Syndrome

Blehert, DS, AC Hicks, M Behr, CU Meteyer, B M Berlowski-Zier, EL Buckles, JTH Coleman, SR Darling, A Gargas, R Niver, JC Okoniewski, RJ Rudd, and WB Stone. 2009. Bat White-Nose Syndrome: An Emerging Fungal Pathogen?
Science 323: 227. P D F icon download PDF (156 kb)

Named Geomyces destructans Blehert et Gargas, fungal pathogen of Bat WNS

Gargas A, MT Trest, M Christensen, TJ Volk, DS Blehert. 2009. Geomyces destructans sp. nov. associated with bat white-nose syndrome.
Mycotaxon 108: 147–154. P D F icon download PDF (724 kb)

Molecular Phylogenies
First DNA-based Phylogeny for the Fungal Kingdom. Showed multiple origins of Lichen-forming fungi.

Gargas A, PT DePriest, M Grube and A Tehler. 1995. Multiple origins of lichen symbioses in fungi suggested by SSU rDNA phylogeny.
Science (cover article) 268: 1492-1495. P D F icon download PDF (1.0 Mb)

Early Origins of Cup-forming Ascomycetes within the filamentous Ascomycotina

Gargas A and JW Taylor. 1995. Phylogeny of discomycetes and early radiation of the apothecial ascomycetes inferred from SSU rDNA sequence data.
Experimental Mycology 19: 7-15. P D F icon download PDF (1.8 Mb)

Described a New Order of Fungi Neolectales Based on DNA Sequence Data

Landvik S, O Eriksson, A Gargas and P Gustafsson. 1993. Relationships of the genus Neolecta (Neolectales ordo nov. Ascomycotina), inferred from 18S rDNA sequences.

Ribosomal DNA Evolution
Discovered Convergent Inter-Empire Sites of Group I Introns in Ribosomal DNA

Gargas A, PT DePriest and JW Taylor. 1995. Positions of multiple insertions in SSU rDNA of lichen-forming fungi.
Molecular Biology and Evolution 12: 208-218. P D F icon download PDF (1.3 Mb)

Conserved Secondary Structure of ITS2 rDNA region

Krüger D and A Gargas. 2004. The basidiomycete genus Polyporus - an emendation based on phylogeny and putative secondary structure of ribosomal RNA molecules.
Feddes Repertorium 115: 530-546. P D F icon download PDF (4 Mb)

Original Techniques Developed

• PCR Primers for Specific Amplification of Field-Collected Microbes

Gargas A and JW Taylor. 1992. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers for amplifying and sequencing 18S rDNA from lichenized fungi.

• Real Time PCR Primers Specific for Bat WNS fungus

Muller LK, JM Lorch, DL Lindner, M O'Connor, A Gargas, DS Blehert. Bat white-nose syndrome: a real-time TaqMan polymerase chain reaction test targeting the intergenic spacer region of Geomyces destructans. 2013. Mycologia 105: 253-259. P D F icon download PDF (335 kb)

• Nomenclature for rDNA PCR Primers

Gargas A and PT DePriest. 1996. A nomenclature for fungal PCR primers with examples from intron-containing SSU rDNA.
Mycologia 88: 745-748. P D F icon download PDF (920 kb)

• Classification of rDNA group I Introns Based on Location

Gargas A, PT DePriest and JW Taylor. 1995. Positions of multiple insertions in SSU rDNA of lichen-forming fungi.
Molecular Biology and Evolution 12: 208-218. P D F icon download PDF (1.3 Mb)

• Improved DNA Isolation from Small Mixed Samples

Grube M, PT DePriest, A Gargas and J Hafellner. 1995. DNA isolation from lichen ascomata.
Mycological Research 99: 1321-1324.