Dr Tuula Niskanen

I am interested in the evolution and diversity of mushrooms with a special interest in Cortinarius, the largest genus of Agaricales, the gilled mushrooms. Studies using DNA sequence data have shown that the diversity of fungi far exceeds earlier expectations and many common species of macrofungi still remain to be described and named. Understanding the evolutionary history of fungi is important. It sets a base for further studies of diverse evolutionary questions. It also provides the means for better understanding the current diversity and distribution of the species.

An additional goal is to improve the sequence based identification of fungi. Since the diversity of fungi is high and identification based on morphology is challenging, sometimes even impossible, DNA sequences provide a faster and a more reliable way to identify fungi. A high quality barcoding database is essential for ecological, environmental or further taxonomic research. Once completed, it will create a solid base for future studies.

• PhD, University of Helsinki, Finland, 2008
• MSc, University of Helsinki, Finland, 2003