Genetics of speciation in the basidiomycetous genus Polyporus

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Abstract
The wood rotting basidiomycete Polyporus (subgenus Leucopori Quel.) was chosen in order to investigate by genetic parameters the validity of the classical species concept based on typological characters. Species deliminations in this genus are derived from morphological characters and depend mainly on the size of hymenial pores. They were compared with those assigned from mating relations between 26 races of different geographic origin. The good correspondence of the species limits derived from morphological and genetic data indicates the applicability and validity of both the typological and the biological species concept. The latter, however, proved superior in compensating the variability of morphological characters, at least in higher fungi. The bearing of our results and other known control mechanisms of the sexual cycle on the definition of the category ‘species’ are integrated in a proposed modification of the biological species concept: populations (races) belong to different species when the failure to interbreed and to produce viable offspring is not caused by genetic parameters operating in completion of the sexual cycle.