XVI International Botanical Congess
Variation between clonal vs. sexual modes of evolution can influence population genetic variation and speciation. Recent studies provide strong evidence for clonal expansion in the human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. We analyzed fragments of four genes in 34 isolates of C. neoformans obtained from diverse geographic locations and representing both of the accepted varieties (var. neoformans and var. gattii) and the four major serotypes (A, B, C, D). Phylogenetic analyses of individual genes largely supports traditional classification of C. neoformans into two varieties and four serotypes. However, significant incongruence is evident among all four gene genealogies, indicating that the major lineages diverged millions of years ago but have undergone relatively recent recombination.