Bachelor’s Thesis Topics
Mgr. Miroslav Caboň, PhD.
The Genus Taphrina in the Era of Molecular Biology
Representatives of the genus Taphrina (Ascomycota) are significant phytopathogenic fungi affecting plants. Despite considerable interest in these fungi, there is still no consensus on the overall species diversity within the genus. Recent studies based on molecular analyses estimate the existence of approximately 30 species, which contradicts morphological estimates suggesting a much higher diversity. This thesis will critically assess the contribution of molecular analyses in understanding species diversity and delineating individual species within the genus.
Vasilii Shapkin, MSc.
vasilii.shapkin@savba.sk – communication in English
Tracking the Occurrence and Ecology of Agaricoid Representatives of the Clavariaceae Family (“Mystery Fungi”) Using Environmental Sequence Databases
The cap-forming fungal genera Camarophyllopsis, Hodophilus, and Lamelloclavaria are phylogenetically related to the club- and coral-shaped fungi in the Clavariaceae family. Their species diversity was only recently defined, and very little occurrence data is available, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. These fungi typically inhabit grassland ecosystems or associate with non-mycorrhizal trees, but their ecology remains poorly understood. This study will focus on extracting publicly available DNA sequences stored in the Global Fungi database and utilizing associated metadata to estimate the ecological preferences of these fungi.