An evolutionary perspective on morphological and ecological characters in the mushroom family Inocybaceae (Agaricomycotina, Fungi)

Inocybaceae is one of the larger families among the gilled mushrooms (Agaricales) but their morphology-based taxonomy is still not fully settled considering molecular-based phylogenetic insights. Here we investigate the evolution of five morphological and four ecological characters using ancestral state reconstruction methods. All the morphological characters are correlated with the phylogeny, but we find spore shape and presence of cortina, to have the greatest taxonomic potential, as they are the most evolutionarily conserved. None of the five characters have, however, evolved in a way that easily delimits inclusive monophyletic groups and the section level taxonomy needs revision. Host preference, preference for calcareous soil, and soil nutritional status preference are shown to be reflective of the evolutionary history of the species at the scale investigated here while soil moisture preference is not. The states of three of the four ecological characters can therefore be predicted in a phylogenetic framework for species where they are unknown.