Underground Explorers

To this date, most of the information about ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi in Indonesia has been generated from the western part of Wallace (Sumatra, Java, and Borneo). Meanwhile, in the eastern Wallace region (Sulawesi, the Moluccas, Papua), the information is limited. Within the project “Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in the eastern Wallace line,” our aim is to generate a list of ECM species in Gandang Dewata, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, based on DNA information. The ITS Region and LSU will be used for metabarcoding, and Illumina Sequencing will be the chosen Sequence Platform. Additionally, we will gather more information related to the ecology of these ECM fungi by assessing their hosts and the existing above-ground fruiting bodies (mushrooms). New species, new records, and new collections could be obtained from this project.