Macrofungi of Sitka spruce in Scotland

Author(s):  
Ian Alexander ◽  
Roy Watling

SynopsisEighty-four potentially mycorrhizal macrofungi have been recorded with Sitka spruce in Scotland. They derive primarily from the native flora of birch and pine and many are fungi with a wide host range. Specific mycorrhizal associates do not occur. In its native range hypogeous fungi are important but these are largely absent from Scotland. The regularly encountered mycorrhizal flora is less abundant and less diverse than that of Norway spruce or European larch and reflects the importation of Sitka spruce by seed and the ecological conditions to which it gives rise. The saprotrophic macrofungi are species which are widespread and common in a range of vegetation types.

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1537-1552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Petrillo ◽  
Paolo Cherubini ◽  
Giulia Fravolini ◽  
Marco Marchetti ◽  
Judith Ascher-Jenull ◽  
...  

Abstract. Due to the large size (e.g. sections of tree trunks) and highly heterogeneous spatial distribution of deadwood, the timescales involved in the coarse woody debris (CWD) decay of Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Larix decidua Mill. in Alpine forests are largely unknown. We investigated the CWD decay dynamics in an Alpine valley in Italy using the chronosequence approach and the five-decay class system that is based on a macromorphological assessment. For the decay classes 1–3, most of the dendrochronological samples were cross-dated to assess the time that had elapsed since tree death, but for decay classes 4 and 5 (poorly preserved tree rings) radiocarbon dating was used. In addition, density, cellulose, and lignin data were measured for the dated CWD. The decay rate constants for spruce and larch were estimated on the basis of the density loss using a single negative exponential model, a regression approach, and the stage-based matrix model. In the decay classes 1–3, the ages of the CWD were similar and varied between 1 and 54 years for spruce and 3 and 40 years for larch, with no significant differences between the classes; classes 1–3 are therefore not indicative of deadwood age. This seems to be due to a time lag between the death of a standing tree and its contact with the soil. We found distinct tree-species-specific differences in decay classes 4 and 5, with larch CWD reaching an average age of 210 years in class 5 and spruce only 77 years. The mean CWD rate constants were estimated to be in the range 0.018 to 0.022 y−1 for spruce and to about 0.012 y−1 for larch. Snapshot sampling (chronosequences) may overestimate the age and mean residence time of CWD. No sampling bias was, however, detectable using the stage-based matrix model. Cellulose and lignin time trends could be derived on the basis of the ages of the CWD. The half-lives for cellulose were 21 years for spruce and 50 years for larch. The half-life of lignin is considerably higher and may be more than 100 years in larch CWD. Consequently, the decay of Picea abies and Larix decidua is very low. Several uncertainties, however, remain: 14C dating of CWD from decay classes 4 and 5 and having a pre-bomb age is often difficult (large age range due to methodological constraints) and fall rates of both European larch and Norway spruce are missing.


1973 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 734-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johng S. Rhim ◽  
Mina L. Vernon ◽  
Fuw G. Duh ◽  
Robert J. Huebner

2009 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yosuke Matsushita ◽  
Kumar K. R. Penmetcha

Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd), a noncoding RNA, is known to cause chrysanthemum stunt disease, which affects the yield of flowers. To gain insights into CSVd replication, infection, and the reasons for the spreading of CSVd disease in chrysanthemum plants, we prepared linear CSVd RNA and analyzed its ability to cause disease in chrysanthemum plants. We found that linear CSVd replicated as efficiently as CSVd RNA isolated from the infected chrysanthemum plants. Additionally, the linear CSVd RNA was evaluated for its ability to infect other plants as well, which revealed that CSVd has a wide host range for its replication. Importantly, the CSVd isolated from these hosts is infectious to chrysanthemum plants, and thus potentially contributes to the spreading of the disease to chrysanthemum plants.


2009 ◽  
Vol 44 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 155-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Varga ◽  
P.J. Fedor

<i>Echinothrips americanus</i> Morgan, 1913, is one of the pest species that expanded their area of distribution in a relatively short time. Being native to the eastern parts of North America, its first European interception was recorded in 1989. Since then it has invaded greenhouses in most European countries, including Slovakia, where it was first recorded in inspected material at the Botanical garden in Košice. As a polyphagous thrips with a wide host range it may induce damage mainly on ornamentals, although if low in numbers it can be easily overlooked. The species is a suitable example where preventive steps against its spread have not been sufficient enough which, therefore, demands further monitoring. Remarks on morphology, identification, economical importance and control are also given.


Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qianqian Mi ◽  
Jinping Zhang ◽  
Elaine Gould ◽  
Juhong Chen ◽  
Zhitan Sun ◽  
...  

The yellow spotted stink bug (YSSB), Erthesina fullo Thunberg, is one of the most widely distributed phytophagous insect pests in Asia. YSSB is highly polyphagous and in China it feeds on over 57 host plants in 29 families, including some economically important fruit crops such as kiwifruit, pear, peach, apple, and pomegranate. With a primarily r-selected life history strategy, reproductive diapause, aggregation behavior, wide host range, high dispersal capacity, and close association with human-modified ecosystems, YSSB is a potentially invasive species that poses significant biosecurity threats to other countries outside its native range. This review summarizes basic and applied knowledge on the biology, ecology, and management of YSSB in China, with specific emphasis on its life history, host range, damage and impacts on economically important horticulture crops, and integrated pest management (IPM) approaches. The insights from the Chinese literature on this pest will help the countries outside its native range to conduct appropriate biosecurity risk assessments, develop a sound surveillance program, and develop an emergency response plan before its invasion of new geographic areas.


2018 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
DÁCIL RIVERA ◽  
VIVIANA TOLEDO ◽  
FRANCISCA DI PILLO ◽  
FERNANDO DUEÑAS ◽  
RODOLFO TARDONE ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The genus Salmonella has more than 2,600 serovars, and this trait is important when considering interventions for Salmonella control. Bacteriophages that are used for biocontrol must have an exclusively lytic cycle and the ability to lyse several Salmonella serovars under a wide range of environmental conditions. Salmonella phages were isolated and characterized from 34 backyard production systems (BPSs) with a history of Salmonella infections. BPSs were visited once, and cloacal or fecal samples were processed for phage isolation. Four hosts, Salmonella serovars Enteritidis, Heidelberg, Infantis, and Typhimurium, were used for phage isolation. The host range of the phages was later characterized with a panel of 23 Salmonella serovars (serovar diversity set) and 31 isolates obtained from the same farms (native set). Genetic relatedness for 10 phages with a wide host range was characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphism, and phages clustered based on the host range. We purified 63 phages, and 36 phage isolates were obtained on Salmonella Enteritidis, 16 on Salmonella Heidelberg, and 11 on Salmonella Infantis. Phages were classified in three clusters: (i) phages with a wide host range (cluster I), (ii) phages that lysed the most susceptible Salmonella serovars (serogroup D) and other isolates (cluster II), and (iii) phages that lysed only isolates of serogroup D (cluster III). The most susceptible Salmonella serovars were Enteritidis, Javiana, and Dublin. Seven of 34 farms yielded phages with a wide host range, and these phages had low levels of genetic relatedness. Our study showed an adaptation of the phages in the sampled BPSs to serogroup D Salmonella isolates and indicated that isolation of Salmonella phages with wide host range differs by farm. A better understanding of the factors driving the Salmonella phage host range could be useful when designing risk-based sampling strategies to obtain phages with a wide lytic host range for biocontrol purposes.


1970 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
BK Goswami ◽  
KA Bhuiyan ◽  
IH Mian

Rhizoctonia solani isolates were collected from soil of different agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh and also from infected plant parts of different crops and grasses. Collected isolates were classified into five different cluster groups on the basis of morphological and cultural characters. Five isolates taking one from each of the five different cluster groups were selected to study their pathogenicity and host range on 35 different crops. Pathogenicity and host range of the isolates were determined by planting the seeds in water agar plate infested with R. solani isolates and incubated at 25°C temperatures. After analyzing the morphological and cultural characters of the isolates, it was found that there was no relations between the isolates with respect to their origin from where they were collected. It indicated that the diversity among the isolates was not correlated with their origin. In case of host range and pathogenicity among the five selected isolates of different cluster groups, the isolate JES-16 was an avirulent isolate. The isolate SYL-30 had narrow host range and a low virulent isolate. The isolates DIN-8 and GAZ-18 possessed wide host range and might be considered as virulent isolates. The isolate GAZ-9 was a highly virulent isolate with a wide host range. Keywords: Rhizoctonia solani; morphological and pathogenic variations; isolates. DOI: 10.3329/bjar.v35i3.6443Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 35(3) : 375-380


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