Jason Leane – “Citizen Science And The Discovery Of Novel Fungal Species”

This looks much like both Amanita gemmata and Amanita pantherina…Let’s see which it is!
– J. Leane

– DNA is “amplified” using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
– DNA “primers” define start and stop points for DNA copying from the much larger full genome
– The amount of target DNA is doubled roughly every 2 minutes, ending up with ~2 billion times more target DNA than you started with
– J. Leane

– DNA sequencing is now around $9 USD per sequence from a commercial lab
– The equipment necessary to prepare DNA at home for sequencing costs under $1000 total
– The portions of the fungal genome suitable for identification purposes are well-studied and reliable (internal transcribed spacer regions)
– J. Leane

Once a several-thousand-dollar tool used in high-tech university labs, now on Ebay…I found mine for under $1000
– J. Leane

This is the region we care about. There’s some benefit to studying other regions but this is the standard place to look
– J. Leane

– Once the PCR process is complete (90-120 mins), the samples are verified via gel electrophoresis, then sent to the lab for sequencing
– After receiving the sample, the lab sends you the DNA sequence in less than 24 hours in most cases
– J. Leane

This is a “sequence file”
The DNA code is on the top, at bottom are raw results from the sequencing machine.
– J. Leane

There’s a Google for this!
This on-line tool lets you search for your sequence in the GenBank database.
– J. Leane

These are the search results.
oh. Well that’s a problem, isn’t it? 100% match to two different species. That is NOT how species work
– J. Leane

These are the real results
It’s a new, as yet unnamed, species.
These new entries are only a month old, the science moves fast with this stuff
– J. Leane

This is Pholiota terrestris. I picked three specimens from the edges of the parking lot at the Academy of Music. Genetically, they were identical – the same individual. It’s probably about the size of a house…
– J. Leane

Is this something new? Probably not. I think this is Pholiota squarrosa, somewhere near Comox
But the point is…with mushrooms…we may change our minds tomorrow…
– J. Leane

Jason Leane – “Citizen Science And The Discovery Of Novel Fungal Species”
by Andrew Bryant, 21 Feb 2019.

Jason Leane is not a scientist – he works as a technologist at Brooks Secondary – but citizen-scientist he most assuredly IS.  So a lifelong interest in science and biology has translated into a most unusual and interesting hobby…and a fascinating talk for us!

In a nutshell, the advent of quick and affordable gene sequencing technology has allowed us to classify species based on genetics as opposed to physical features.  That’s why Jason has a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine in his kitchen…yes you heard that right…
yes, he’s been literally cooking DNA…
and learning lots in the process.

Jason’s been examining local mushrooms.  It seems he’s been finding some that may be slightly mis-categorized, wildly mis-named, or suspiciously far from their known habitat.  He may even have found a new species  – or ten.

Because as more data emerge, in the fungal world at least, we’re discovering that we’ve been wrong.  A lot.  Luckily, in science, being wrong means you get to learn something.  We learned a lot…from the largest organisim on Earth to amazing, real-time DNA analyes using a smart phone.

Amazing.  Keep on cooking!