Durham, N.C. – A few years ago, the North Carolina Biodiversity Project conducted a comprehensive biological inventory of land within the New Hope Creek Corridor, uncovering several organisms that were considered “possibly new to science.” A paper recently published in the scientific journal Phytotaxa describes a new species of fungus based on specimens collected during the project.

Russula neoelpidensis is the first organism found during the inventory formally confirmed as a new species. Its name is a reference to the place it was first discovered: “neo” is the Greek word for “new,” and “elpida” translates to “hope.”

The discovery of R. neoelpidensis in the New Hope Bottomlands highlights the ecosystem’s remarkable biodiversity and the nature of the research itself. As Open Space Specialist David Bradley explains, “unlike many forests in this region, some parts of the Bottomlands appear to never have been clear-cut, used for intensive agriculture, or developed. Consequently, this ecosystem retains a level of biodiversity not seen in much of the Piedmont, and preserved natural areas are more likely to contain new, rare, or unique species.”

The 2021-2022 New Hope Inventory is unique in that it identified organisms that often have been overlooked in biodiversity surveys. The discovery of R. neoelpidensis was made possible with the meticulous field-based research conducted during the project.

Bradley notes that while fungi are vital to terrestrial ecosystems, scientists estimate that most fungus species on earth are still undescribed. “Each discovery of a new species represents a small but important step towards a more complete understanding of these organisms and what they can tell us about the grander story of life on Earth.”

Russula neoelpidensis is closely related to fungi known to have an “ectomycorrhizal” relationship with oak trees: the fungi provide the oaks with greater access to water and minerals, and the plants, in turn, provide the fungi with nutrients created through photosynthesis. Although more research is needed to fully understand the species’ ecological function, R. neoelpidensis may play a role in supporting the oak trees that in turn support a remarkable variety of life at the Bottomlands.

To learn more about the research projects on Durham County’s Open Space preserves, visit the Open Space Program website or email openspace@dconc.gov. Learn more about biodiversity along New Hope Creek by visiting the official New Hope Creek Biodiversity Survey website, maintained by the North Carolina Biodiversity Project. 

About the New Hope Biological Inventory

Supported by the Durham County Open Space Program, funded with a grant from the Burt’s Bees Foundation, and conducted by members of the North Carolina Biodiversity Project, the 2021-2022 inventory of the New Hope Creek Corridor resulted in a 200-page report that provides a detailed picture of life in the Bottomlands and Hollow Rock Nature Park. It not only includes well-known, “charismatic” taxa like birds, mammals, and plants, but also slime molds, leaf-mining micro-moths, and fungi. The mission of the NC Biodiversity Project is to promote public interest in North Carolina’s rich diversity of native species and ecosystems, and to support biodiversity conservation statewide.

To determine that this fungus was a new species, University of Wyoming scientist Steven Miller and mycologist Henry Van T. Cotter first examined the morphology, or physical features, of the specimens that Cotter had collected in the field. Next, they collaborated with Duke University’s Mycology Lab to extract and sequence the fungus’ DNA. Finally, they used statistical analysis to compare these data to those of other known fungus species. This allowed them to not only confirm that they had found a unique species, Russula neoelpidensis, but to classify it in relation to other known groups of species. This systematic classification, known as taxonomy, is critical for determining the evolutionary history and ecology of different organisms.

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