Distribution of the anther-smut pathogen Microbotryum on species of the Caryophyllaceae

Artículo de publicación ISIUnderstanding disease distributions is of fundamental and applied importance, yet few studies benefit from integrating broad sampling with ecological and phylogenetic data. Here, anther-smut disease, caused by the fungus Microbotryum, was assessed using herbarium specimens of Silene and allied genera of the Caryophyllaceae. • A total of 42 000 herbarium specimens were examined, and plant geographical distributions and morphological and life history characteristics were tested as correlates of disease occurrence. Phylogenetic comparative methods were used to determine the association between disease and plant life-span. • Disease was found on 391 herbarium specimens from 114 species and all continents with native Silene. Anther smut occurred exclusively on perennial plants, consistent with the pathogen requiring living hosts to overwinter. The disease was estimated to occur in 80% of perennial species of Silene and allied genera. The correlation between plant life-span and disease was highly significant while controlling for the plant phylogeny, but the disease was not correlated with differences in floral morphology. • Using resources available in natural history collections, this study illustrates how disease distribution can be determined, not by restriction to a clade of susceptible hosts or to a limited geographical region, but by association with host life-span, a trait that has undergone frequent evolutionary transitions.We acknowledge grant support from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the National Science Foundation (DEB-0747222) to MEH, the National Science Foundation Minority Postdoctoral Fellowship (DBI-0706721) to JIMA, University of Chile awards PFB-23 and ICM P05-002 to MTKA, and The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS) support to BO, and Royal Society Incoming Fellowship and Center for Infection, Immunity, and Evolution Advanced Fellowship to ABP

Glacial Refugia in Pathogens: European Genetic Structure of Anther Smut Pathogens on Silene latifolia and Silene dioica

Climate warming is predicted to increase the frequency of invasions by pathogens and to cause the large-scale redistribution of native host species, with dramatic consequences on the health of domesticated and wild populations of plants and animals. The study of historic range shifts in response to climate change, such as during interglacial cycles, can help in the prediction of the routes and dynamics of infectious diseases during the impending ecosystem changes. Here we studied the population structure in Europe of two Microbotryum species causing anther smut disease on the plants Silene latifolia and Silene dioica. Clustering analyses revealed the existence of genetically distinct groups for the pathogen on S. latifolia, providing a clear-cut example of European phylogeography reflecting recolonization from southern refugia after glaciation. The pathogen genetic structure was congruent with the genetic structure of its host species S. latifolia, suggesting dependence of the migration pathway of the anther smut fungus on its host. The fungus, however, appeared to have persisted in more numerous and smaller refugia than its host and to have experienced fewer events of large-scale dispersal. The anther smut pathogen on S. dioica also showed a strong phylogeographic structure that might be related to more northern glacial refugia. Differences in host ecology probably played a role in these differences in the pathogen population structure. Very high selfing rates were inferred in both fungal species, explaining the low levels of admixture between the genetic clusters. The systems studied here indicate that migration patterns caused by climate change can be expected to include pathogen invasions that follow the redistribution of their host species at continental scales, but also that the recolonization by pathogens is not simply a mirror of their hosts, even for obligate biotrophs, and that the ecology of hosts and pathogen mating systems likely affects recolonization patterns

IDENTIFICATION AND SUSTAINABLE EXPLOITATION OF WILD EDIBLE MUSHROOMS IN RURAL AREAS (“MYCOTICON”, LDV-TOI PROJECT): DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE TRAINING PACKAGE TO MEET EDUCATIONAL AND INCOME-GENERATING DEMANDS IN SOUTH EUROPE AND FOR IMPROVING THE USE OF MUSHROOMS AS HIGH-VALUE FOOD

In Mediterranean and in southeast Europe the activities of a significant part of the population are traditionally linked with agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry. However, many rural communities are experiencing serious difficulties associated with low income per person and poor employment prospects combined with increased demographic decline. Alternative activities such as the collection and trading of wild edible mushrooms as well as the cultivation of choice species could contribute at providing valuable solutions both in financial and environmental terms. The total number of fungal species which are considered having edible and/or medicinal value is over 2300 [1]. Most of them form large conspicuous sporophores (i.e. mushrooms) during their life-cycle, which are either harvested from the wild or cultivated on a wide range of plant and agro-industrial residues and by-products. Foraying and picking of wild edible mushrooms has a long tradition in most European countries; therefore it constitutes a significant socioeconomic activity, while at the same time reflects local knowledge and social practices that are worth preserving. Recent food market tendencies reveal a high demand potential for wild edible mushrooms among urban consumers. In those cases that wild fungi are not well-known because pertinent knowledge was not spread within families or local communities, people avoid their harvest; instead they are oriented at consuming cultivated mushrooms which become increasingly popular. This latter type of activity is tightly associated with environmental protection through recycling and valorization of low-value substrates together with the conservation of some highly sought-after mushroom species [2, 3]. The “Mycoticon” project (EU, LdV-ToI) involves Universities, Technological, and Research Institutions as well as local stakeholders and associated end-users from four European countries, i.e. Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Italy. These partners combine their experience and expertise at developing an integrated educational and training package together with its respective tools to meet the demands of suitable target-groups willing to create collective entrepreneurship schemes for exploiting the economic potential of wild mushrooms in rural areas. Ultimately, the objective is to facilitate the generation of a new source of non-subsidized income and create new jobs in areas desperately in need of both. In parallel, local people are expected to be presented with incentives to adopt sustainable management and harvesting practices for wild edible mushrooms together with basic knowledge on mushroom cultivation. Among other anticipated deliverables, national reports were compiled for each participating country as regards the current knowledge/situation on diversity, harvest and trade of wild edible mushrooms as well as on commercial mushroom production. In addition, a voluminous textbook was prepared [4] which provided a detailed description of 22 choice edible and 11 selected poisonous mushrooms (together with many other related taxa) of significance in all four countries. Moreover, it included general information about biology and ecology of mushroom fungi, their common habitats/ecosystems, proper harvest practices and suitable food preservation methods, relevant legislation and conservation issues, and basic guidelines for the cultivation of the most popular species together with prospects for developing tourism activities associated with mushrooms. All of them formed the basis for the development of an innovative training material established both on paper and online by creating a moodle web-page (http://moodle.teilar.gr/). This electronic tool was assembled in four languages (English, Italian, Greek and Bulgarian) and it now provides a user-friendly and flexible modular training course through which e-self-assessment and e-accreditation could be also accomplished. The training package complies with EQF rules and it will be further structured according to EC-VET provisions. Its content is anticipated to enhance the development of pertinent skills and subsequently increase employment of qualified people in rural areas. Furthermore, it provides the prerequisites for combining local assets and resources into mushroom products that meet consumers’ expectations. Such activities constitute a highly recommended approach in Europe since rural income could derive from integrated direct and indirect recourses (by also supporting conservation and environmental sustainability) and not only by the primary agricultural production