Yuri Novozhilov

Author Identifiers: Web of Science ResearcherID, Scopus Author ID, Russian Science Citation Index, ORCID iD

Academic degree, academic title: Dr.Sc., Professor in Biology

Position: Head of the Laboratory

E-mail: YNovozhilov@binran.ru

Research interests:

Study of species, taxonomic and ecological diversity of Myxomycetes in different biomes of Eurasia, including tropical forests of Vietnam.
To identify and analyze major trends in diversity and structure of substrate assemblages of myxomycetes at latitude-zonal, altitude and other natural gradients.
To carry out comprehensive and interdisciplinary research of changes in the hidden diversity of fungi and fungi-like protists (myxomycetes) in ecosystems on the basis of metagenomic technologies
Identification of phylogenetic relationships between taxa, as well as the revision of their boundaries based on an integrated approach using molecular-genetic, morphological, ecological and geographical analysis.
Studying the geographical distribution of gene phylogenies across the range of myxomycetes morphospecies.

Keywords: Systematics, biogeography, ecology, molecular phylogeny, biodiversity, myxomycetes, protists, fungi, habitats, speciation

Education and work experience:

1970–1975 — studied at Leningrad State University (LSU), Faculty of Biology and Soil Science, Department of Zoology of Invertebrates.
1981 — PhD thesis on «Myxomycetes of the Ladozhsko-Ilma floristic region» (supervisor M.A. Bondartseva).
2006 — Doctoral thesis on «Myxomycetes (class Myxomycetes) of Russia: taxonomic composition, ecology and geography» at the Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (scientific advisor I.V. Karatygin).

1975–1978 — Senior Laboratory Assistant at the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS.
1978–1981 — Research Assistant at the Laboratory of Systematics and Geography of Fungi of the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS.
1981–1988 — Research Scientist at the Laboratory of Systematics and Geography of Fungi of the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS.
1988–2004 — Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Systematics and Geography of Fungi of the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS.
2004–2016 — Leading Researcher at the Laboratory of Systematics and Geography of Fungi of the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS.
2018 — until now — Principal Investigator with the charge of Head of the Laboratory of Systematics and Geography of Fungi at the Komarov Botanical Institute of the RAS.

Grants and research projects:

Project leader:

2022–2023. RSF №22-24-00747 «Reconstruction of the 'deep phylogeny' of fungal protists (Myxomycetes = Eumycetozoa) based on genome skimming data».
2021–2024. Project of the Ministry of Education and Science (Agreement 075-15-2021-1056) «Herbarium collections of plant and fungal biodiversity of the V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Modernization, development and networking as a basis for fundamental research and improvement of genetic technologies».
2019–2024. Project 122011900033-4 «Biodiversity, ecology and structural and functional features of fungi and protist fungi».
2018–2020. RFBR №18-04-01232-a «DNA barcoding of Myxomycetes (Myxomycetes = Myxogastria) and analysis of their latent diversity based on herbarium collections and metagenomic data».
2015–2017. RFBR №15-29-02622 «Assessment of "latent diversity" of higher fungi and myxomycetes in soils of vulnerable natural ecosystems based on metagenomic approach and classical molecular analysis».
2013–2015. RFBR №13-04-00839a «Genetic and ecological aspects of the biogeography of nivicolous myxomycetes (Myxomycetes) of alpine and lowland landscapes».
2011–2013. Program of the Presidium of RAS «Biodiversity: State and Dynamic» Project «Regularities in the development of complexes of micromycetes and their role in the formation and functioning of high-latitude Arctic primary ecosystems».
2007–2009. RFBR №07-04-00353 «Microsomycetes in the ecosystems of salt-dome uplands of the Caspian Sea».
2005–2006. International project «Linking local databases for collections of plasmodial slime moulds (Myxomycetes) to create a global web-based herbarium' (The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)».
2003–2005. Project of the Ministry of Industry, Science and Technology of the Russian Federation, subproject: «Atlas of fungi habitats».
2002–2004. RFBR №02-07-90439 «Creation of biogeographic database and IPS "Fungi of Russia"».
2002–2004. RFBR №02-04-49907 «Ecological diversity of myxomycetes of deserts of the North-West Pre-Caspian».
2002–2004. Project «Biodiversity Information System» (contract with the Ministry of Industry and Science of Russia, head organization ZIN RAS, BIN RAS working group leader).
2002. RFBR №02-04-63138 «Organization and carrying out of expeditionary works for study of ecological diversity of myxomycetes of deserts of the North-West Pre-Caspian».
1998–1997. RFBR №98-07-90346 «Creation of database «Mushroom collections of herbarium of BIN RAS».
1994–1996. RFBR №94-04-13325 «Creation of Database "Mycological Herbarium of BIN RAS».

Member of research team:

2019–2023. Project 122011900032-7 «Herbarium collections of BIN RAS (history, preservation, study and replenishment)».
2009–2013. Project «Scientific and Scientific-Pedagogical Personnel for Innovative Russia».
2009–2011. State Contract P1300 «Phylogeography and evolution trends of model groups of basidiomycetes and myxomycetes».
2010–2014. Project Ecolan E-1.2 «Structural and functional organization of tropical forest ecosystems and assessment of the current state of flora and fauna biodiversity». Subproject «Mycobiota of Vietnam».
2004–2007. Project «Global Biodiversity of Eumycetozoans International Project» (National Science Foundation (NSF), DEB-0316284, chief Steven L. Stephenson.
2003. Berezovye Islands LRC grant.
2002–2006. Project «Preservation of rare and vanishing species of plants and animals and species of resource significance».
2000–2004. Project on the study of biodiversity of Russia («Checklist of fungi of Russia», subproject «Biodiversity»).
1998–2002. International Project «Studies of Neotropical Myxomycetes» (National Science Foundation (NSF) of the USA, DEB 97-05464.
1996–2001. International project «Fungi of the shared Beringian Heritage National Parks: Kobuk Valley National Park & Wilderness» (CA 991080027, US National Park Service.
1999. «Red Book of the Leningrad Oblast» (publishing project supported by the Ministry of Environment of Finland and Territorial Ecological Foundation of the Leningrad Oblast).
1998–2002. RFBR №97-07-90365 «Creation of local network and integration of data bases and information systems of Botanical Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences into the international network Internet».

Other projects:

2020–2024. Ecolan E-1.5 project. Taxonomic and ecological diversity of mycobiota of tropical forests in Vietnam, in the Program of scientific research and technological work of the Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technology Centre for 2020-2024, in the program «Tropical Ecology». The project aims to identify patterns of change in the taxonomic and ecological diversity of fungi, lichens and fungal protists in the forests of Vietnam and the structural and functional characteristics of macromycetes in the biodegradation of lignocellulosic substrates. Project Leader.
2021 — until now. Specialized library of DNA barcodes of myxomycetes of the V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences – «MyxoSeq» is intended to preserve information on DNA barcodes of fungal protists (Myxomycetes) and conduct fundamental and applied scientific research by the staff of the BIN RAS and representatives of other scientific, educational, environmental and other specialized institutions of Russia and foreign countries on its basis. Library MyxoSeq contains nucleotide sequences of marker sites of 18S rRNA gene (SSU) and other genome regions, description of primers, data on DNA samples and PCR carried out; it contains files with sequencing chromatograms, with images of morphological taxonomic characters of voucher herbarium specimens of fruit bodies (sporophores) from which the sequences were obtained, herbarium sample numbers, description of their collection sites, names of taxa, history of taxonomic determinations of specimens and other related information. A validated database of reference 18S rRNA gene sequences meets the following criteria: 1) the presence of a reference to the voucher herbarium sample, 2) the presence of a taxonomic annotation to species level, and 3) the presence of a target site covered by S3bF/S31R primers or other primers developed for specific taxa as needed.

Conferences and workshops:

Organizing committee:

10th International Congress on the Systematics and Ecology of Myxomycetes (ICSEM10). Costa Rica, Turrialba, February 25–28, 2020. Member of the Organizing Committee.
The Ninth International Congress on the Systematics and Ecology of Myxomycetes (ICSEM9). Japan, Tanabu, August 18–23, 2017. Member of the organizing committee.

Attendee:

V (XIII) International Botanical Conference for Young Scientists. Russia, Saint-Petersburg, April 25-29, 2022. Plenary report «Problems of ecology, phylogeny and systematics of Myxomycetes in context of their latent diversity».
First Scientific Forum «Genetic Resources of Russia». Russia, Saint-Petersburg, June 21–24, 2022. Plenary report «Will be forever young: herbaria of plants and fungi as basis for modern integrative approach to solve problems of phylogenetics, taxonomy and research of genetic resources».

Professional memberships:

Russian Botanical Society

Editorial activity:

Member of the editorial board of annual journal «Novosti sistematiki nizshikh rastenij» (Novitates Sistematicae Plantarum non Vascularium)
Member of the editorial board of «Mikologiia i fitopatologiia»
Member of the editorial board of «Biosphere»
Member of the editorial board of «Protistology»

Selected publications:

Novozhilov, Y.K., Schnittler, M., Shchepin, O.N., Prikhodko, I.S., Gmoshinskiy, V.I., Gubanov, E.S. Late-summer myxomycete diversity of the National Park «Vulkany Kamchatki» (Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. Nova Hedwigia. 2023. (published online).

Novozhilov Y.K., Prikhodko I.S., Bortnikov F.M., Shchepin O.N., Luptakova A.D., Dobriakova K. D., Pham T.H.G. Diachea racemosa (Myxomycetes = Myxogastrea): a new species with cespitose sporocarps from southern Vietnam and its position within the phylogenetic clade Diachea sensu lato (Physarales). Protistology. 2023. 17(4): 189–204.

Prikhodko I.S., Shchepin O.N., … Novozhilov Y.K. et al. A three-gene phylogeny supports taxonomic rearrangements in the family Didymiaceae (Myxomycetes). Mycological Progress. 2023. 22(11): 1–24.

Novozhilov Y.K., Prikhodko I. S., Fedorova N. A., Shchepin O. N., Gmoshinskiy V. I., Schnittler M. Lamproderma vietnamense: a new species of myxomycetes with reticulate spores from Phia O?c - Phia Den National Park (northern Vietnam) supported by molecular phylogeny and morphological analysis. Mycoscience. 2022. 63: 149–155.

Novozhilov Y.K., Shchepin O. N., Prikhodko I. S., Schnittler M. A new nivicolous species of Diderma (Myxomycetes) from Kamchatka, Russia. Nova Hedwigia. 2022. 114: 181–196.

Shchepin, O., Novozhilov Y., Woyzichovski J. et al. Genetic structure of the protist Physarum albescens (Amoebozoa) revealed by multiple markers and genotyping by sequencing. Molecular Ecology. 2022. 31(1): 372–390.

Stephenson S.L., Novozhilov Y.K., Shchepin O.N., Laursen G.A., Leontyev D.V., Schnittler M. Myxomycetes of Alaska: species diversity and distribution. Nova Hedwigia. 2022. 115(3–4): 519–534.

Zemlyanskaya I.V., Novozhilov Y.K. New data on myxomycete diversity of the Republic of Kalmykia (Russia). Новости систематики низших растений. 2022. 56(2): 309–321.

Zemlyanskaya I.V., Novozhilov Y.K. New data on myxomycete diversity of the Republic of Tatarstan (Russia). Новости систематики низших растений. 2022. 56(1): 71–84.

Dagamac N.H.A., Bauer Barbara, Woyzichovski J., Shchepin O.N., Novozhilov Y.K., Schnittler M. Where do nivicolous myxomycetes occur? – Modeling the potential worldwide distribution of Physarum albescens. Fungal Ecology. 2021. 53: 101079.

Novozhilov Y.K., Rollins A., Shchepin O.N., Schnittler M. Ecology and distribution of Myxomycetes. In: Myxomycetes: biology, systematics, biogeography and ecology. Ed. S.L. Stephenson et al. London: Academic Press. 2021. 325–376.

Schnittler M., Dagamac N. H. A., Woyzichovski J., Novozhilov Y.K. Biogeographical patterns in myxomycetes. In: Myxomycetes: biology, systematics, biogeography and ecology. Ed. S.L. Stephenson et al. London: Academic Press. 2021. 377-382.

Bortnikov F.M., Matveev A.V., Gmoshinskiy V.I., Novozhilov Y.K., Zemlyanskaya I.V., Vlasenko A.V., Schnittler M., Shchepin O.N. Myxomycetes of Russia: a history of research and a checklist of species. Karstenia. 2020. 58: 316–373.

Vlasenko A.V., Novozhilov Y.K., Prikhodko I.S., Botyakov V.N., Vlasenko V.A. A new species of Stemonitis pseudoflavogenita from Russia, and the first record of Stemonitis capillitionodosa in Eurasia. Phytotaxa. 2020. 447(2): 137–145.

Zemlyanskaya, I.V., Novozhilov, Y.K., Schnittler, M. An annotated checklist slime molds (Myxomycetes = Myxogastrea) of western Kazakhstan. Karstenia. 2020. 58: 168–189.

Leontyev D.V., Schnittler M., Stephenson S.L., Novozhilov Y.K., Shchepin O.N. Towards a phylogenetic classification of the Myxomycetes. Phytotaxa. 2019. 399(3): 209–238.

Leontyev D.V., Schnittler M., Stephenson S.L., Novozhilov Y.K. Systematic revision of the Tubifera casparyi — T. dictyoderma complex: Resurrection of the genus Siphoptychium and introduction of the new genus Thecotubifera. Mycologia. 2019. 111(6): 981–997.

Novozhilov Y.K., Shchepin O.N., Schnittler M., Dagamac N.H.A., Alexandrova A.V., Popov E.S., Kuznetsov A.N. Myxomycetes associated with mountain tropical forests of Bidoup Nui Ba and Chu Yang Sin national parks (Dalat Plateau, southern Vietnam). Nova Hedwigia. 2019. 110(1–2): 185–224.

Shchepin O.N., Schnittler M., Dagamac N.H.A., Leontyev D.V., Novozhilov Y.K. Unexplored diversity of the tiniest myxomycetes: evidences from environmental DNA. Plant Ecology and Evolution. 2019. 152(3): 499–506.

Shchepin O.N., Schnittler M., Erastova D.A., Prikhodko I.S., Borg Dahl M., Azarov D.V., Chernyaeva E.N., Novozhilov Y.K. Community of dark-spored myxomycetes in ground litter and soil of taiga forest (Nizhne-Svirskiy Reserve, Russia) revealed by DNA metabarcoding. Fungal Ecology. 2019. 39: 80–93.

Dahl M.B. , Brejnrod A.D., Unterseher M., Hoppe T., Feng Y., Novozhilov Y., Sørensen S.J., Schnittler M. Genetic barcoding of dark-spored myxomycetes (Amoebozoa) — Identification, evaluation and application of a sequence similarity threshold for species differentiation in NGS studies. Molecular Ecology Resources. 2018. 18(2): 306–318.

Dahl M.B., Schunk Ch., Menzel A., Novozhilov Y.K., Schnittler M. A four year survey reveals a coherent pattern between occurrence of fruit bodies and soil amoebae populations for nivicolous myxomycetes. Scientific Reports. 2018. 8(1): 11662.

Dagamac N.H.A., Hoffmann M., Novozhilov Y.K., Schnittler M. Myxomycetes from the highlands of Ethiopia. Nova Hedwigia. 2017. 104(1–3): 111–127.

Dagamac N.H.A., Novozhilov Y.K., Stephenson S.L., Lado C., Rojas C., Dela Cruz T.E.E., Unterseher M., Schnittler M. Biogeographical assessment of myxomycete assemblages from Neotropical and Asian Palaeotropical forests. Journal of Biogeography. 2017. 44(7): 1524–1536.

Dagamac N.H.A., Rojas C., Novozhilov Y.K., Moreno G.H., Schlueter R., Schnittler M. Speciation in progress? A phylogeographic study among populations of Hemitrichia serpula (Myxomycetes). PLOS ONE. 2017. 12(4): e0174825.

Erastova D.A., Novozhilov Y.K., Schnittler M. Nivicolous myxomycetes of the Khibiny Mountains, Kola Peninsula, Russia. Nova Hedwigia. 2017. 104(1–3): 85–110.

Novozhilov Y.K., Erastova D.A., Shchepin O.N., Schnittler M., Aleksandrova A.V., Popov E.S., Kuznetsov A.N. Myxomycetes associated with monsoon lowland tropical forests in southern Vietnam. Nova Hedwigia. 2017. 104(1–3): 143–182.

Novozhilov Y.K., Schnittler M., Erastova D.A., Shchepin O.N. Myxomycetes of the Sikhote-Alin State Nature Biosphere Reserve (Far East, Russia). Nova Hedwigia. 2017. 104(1–3): 183–209.

Schnittler M., Shchepin O.N., Dagamac N.H.A., Borg Dahl M., Novozhilov Y.K. Barcoding myxomycetes with molecular markers: challenges and opportunities. Nova Hedwigia. 2017. 104(1–3): 323–341.

Shchepin O.N., Dagamac N.H., Sanchez O.M., Novozhilov Y.K., Schnittler M., Zemlyanskaya I.V. DNA barcoding as a tool for identification of plasmodia and sclerotia of myxomycetes (Myxogastria) appearing in moist chamber cultures. Mycosphere. 2017. 8(10): 1904–1913.

Feng Y., Klahr A., Janik P., Ronikier A., Hoppe T., Novozhilov Y.K., Schnittler M. What an intron may tell: several sexual biospecies coexist in Meriderma spp. (Myxomycetes). Protist. 2016. 167(3): 234-253.

Novozhilov Y.K., Stephenson S.L. A new species of Perichaena (Myxomycetes) with reticulate spores from southern Vietnam. Mycologia. 2015. 107(1): 137–141.

Novozhilov Y.K., Van Hooff H., Jagers M. Trichioides iridescens, a new genus and new species (incertae sedis in Myxomycetes). Mycological Progress. 2014. 14(1): 1–7.

Novozhilov Y.K., Schnittler M., Erastova D.A., Okun M.V., Shchepin O.N., Heinrich E. Diversity of nivicolous myxomycetes of the Teberda State Biosphere Reserve (Northwestern Caucasus, Russia). Fungal Diversity. 2013. 59(1): 109–130.

Novozhilov Y.K., Okun M.V., Erastova D. A., Shchepin O.N., Zemlyanskaya I.V., García-Carvajal E., Schnittler M. Description, culture and phylogenetic position of a new xerotolerant species of Physarum. Mycologia. 2013. 105: 1535–1546.