Phylogenomics reveals extensive misidentification of fungal strains from the genus Aspergillus

Abstract

Modern taxonomic classification is often based on phylogenetic analyses of a few molecular markers, although single-gene studies are still common. However, the use of one or few molecular markers can lead to inaccurate inferences of species history and errors in classification. Here, we leverage genome-scale molecular phylogenetics (phylogenomics) of species and populations to reconstruct evolutionary relationships in a dense dataset of 711 fungal genomes from the biomedically and technologically important genus Aspergillus. To do so, we generated a novel set of 1,362 high-quality molecular markers specific for Aspergillus and provide profile Hidden Markov Models for each, facilitating others to use these molecular markers. Examination of the resulting genome-scale phylogeny: (1) helped resolve ongoing taxonomic controversies and identified new ones; (2) revealed extensive strain misidentification, underscoring the importance of population-level sampling in species classification; and (3) identified novel lineages that may shed light on the early evolution of an important genus. These findings suggest that phylogenomics of species and populations can facilitate accurate taxonomic classifications and reconstructions of the tree of life.