Highlights of the Didymellaceae: A polyphasic approach to characterise Phoma and related pleosporalean genera

Fungal taxonomists routinely encounter problems when dealing with asexual fungal species due to poly- and paraphyletic generic phylogenies, and unclear species boundaries. These problems are aptly illustrated in the genus Phoma. This phytopathologically significant fungal genus is currently subdivided into nine sections which are mainly based on a single or just a few morphological characters. However, this subdivision is ambiguous as several of the section-specific characters can occur within a single species. In addition, many teleomorph genera have been linked to Phoma, three of which are recognised here. In this study it is attempted to delineate generic boundaries, and to come to a generic circumscription which is more correct from an evolutionary point of view by means of multilocus sequence typing. Therefore, multiple analyses were conducted utilising sequences obtained from 28S nrDNA (Large Subunit - LSU), 18S nrDNA (Small Subunit - SSU), the Internal Transcribed Spacer regions 1 & 2 and 5.8S nrDNA (ITS), and part of the ß-tubulin (TUB) gene region. A total of 324 strains were included in the analyses of which most belonged to Phoma taxa, whilst 54 to related pleosporalean fungi. In total, 206 taxa were investigated, of which 159 are known to have affinities to Phoma. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the current Boeremaean subdivision is incorrect from an evolutionary point of view, revealing the genus to be highly polyphyletic. Phoma species are retrieved in six distinct clades within the Pleosporales, and appear to reside in different families. The majority of the species, however, including the generic type, clustered in a recently established family, Didymellaceae. In the second part of this study, the phylogenetic variation of the species and varieties in this clade was further assessed. Next to the genus Didymella, which is considered to be the sole teleomorph of Phoma s. str., we also retrieved taxa belonging to the teleomorph genera Leptosphaerulina and Macroventuria in this clade. Based on the sequence data obtained, the Didymellaceae segregate into at least 18 distinct clusters, of which many can be associated with several specific taxonomic characters. Four of these clusters were defined well enough by means of phylogeny and morphology, so that the associated taxa could be transferred to separate genera. Aditionally, this study addresses the taxonomic description of eight species and two varieties that are novel to science, and the recombination of 61 additional taxa

Systematic reappraisal of species in Phoma section Paraphoma, Pyrenochaeta and Pleurophoma

Sequence data from the 18S nrDNA (SSU) and 28S nrDNA (LSU) regions of isolates of Phoma section Paraphoma were compared with those of representative isolates of the morphologically similar anamorph genera Pleurophoma and Pyrenochaeta and of the type species of Phoma sections Phoma, Pilosa and Plenodomus. Phoma section Paraphoma was found to be highly polyphyletic within the Pleosporales and only distantly related to Phoma section Phoma. The genus Paraphoma, which is based on Paraphoma radicina, is reintroduced in the Phaeosphaeriaceae with two additional taxa. The new genera Setophoma and Neosetophoma, type species Setophoma terrestris comb. nov. and Neosetophoma samarorum comb. nov., are introduced and represent species that are closely related to Paraphoma but differ based on morphological characters and molecular phylogeny. Phoma coonsii is transferred to genus Chaetosphaeronema that also belongs to the Phaeosphaeriaceae. Pyrenochaetopsis gen. nov. is introduced to accommodate the type species Pyrenochaetopsis leptospora comb. nov., as well as several other species formerly accommodated in Phoma and Pyrenochaeta. Pyrenochaetopsis is closely related to Pyrenochaeta and classified in the Cucurbitariaceae. Pleurophoma cava is transferred to genus Pyrenochaeta. The new genera elucidate the confusing taxonomy of species in genera Phoma, Pyrenochaeta and Pleurophoma and recognize monophyletic genera with distinct teleomorph affinities

Multi-locus phylogeny of Pleosporales: a taxonomic, ecological and evolutionary re-evaluation

Five loci, nucSSU, nucLSU rDNA, TEF1, RPB1 and RPB2, are used for analysing 129 pleosporalean taxa representing 59 genera and 15 families in the current classification of Pleosporales. The suborder Pleosporineae is emended to include four families, viz. Didymellaceae, Leptosphaeriaceae, Phaeosphaeriaceae and Pleosporaceae. In addition, two new families are introduced, i.e. Amniculicolaceae and Lentitheciaceae. Pleomassariaceae is treated as a synonym of Melanommataceae, and new circumscriptions of Lophiostomataceae s. str, Massarinaceae and Lophiotrema are proposed. Familial positions of Entodesmium and Setomelanomma in Phaeosphaeriaceae, Neophaeosphaeria in Leptosphaeriaceae, Leptosphaerulina, Macroventuria and Platychora in Didymellaceae, Pleomassaria in Melanommataceae and Bimuria, Didymocrea, Karstenula and Paraphaeosphaeria in Montagnulaceae are clarified. Both ecological and morphological characters show varying degrees of phylogenetic significance. Pleosporales is most likely derived from a saprobic ancestor with fissitunicate asci containing conspicuous ocular chambers and apical rings. Nutritional shifts in Pleosporales likely occured from saprotrophic to hemibiotrophic or biotrophic

Multiple Didymella teleomorphs are linked to the Phoma clematidina morphotype

The fungal pathogen Phoma clematidina is used as a biological agent to control the invasive plant species Clematis vitalba in New Zealand. Research conducted on P. clematidina as a potential biocontrol agent against C. vitalba, led to the discovery of two perithecial-forming strains. To assess the diversity of P. clematidina and to clarify the teleomorph-anamorph relationship, phylogenetic analyses of 18 P. clematidina strains, reference strains representing the Phoma sections in the Didymellaceae and strains of related species associated with Clematis were conducted. Partial sequences of the ITS1, ITS2 and 5.8S rRNA gene, the ß-tubulin gene and 28S rRNA gene were used to clarify intra- and inter-species relationships. These analyses revealed that P. clematidina resolves into three well-supported clades which appear to be linked to differences in host specificity. Based on these findings, Didymella clematidis is newly described and the descriptions of P. clematidina and D. vitalbina are amended

Biologische melkveehouderij heeft toekomst met weerbare koe

In 2007 is onderzoek gedaan naar de visie van de biologische sector op diergezondheid en dierenwelzijn. Veehouders uit vier sectoren (melkvee, geiten, varkens en pluimvee) zijn geïnterviewd over hun visie en ideeën rond diergezondheid en dierenwelzijn. Voor de biologische melkveesector zijn 31 melkveehouders individueel ondervraagd. Daarna zijn tijdens een bijeenkomst van Natuurweide nog eens 25 veehouders aan het woord geweest. De uitkomsten van het onderzoek geven onderzoekers en beleidsmakers een beeld van de aspecten die de sector belangrijk vindt. Dit kan als basis dienen voor nieuw onderzoek of beleid. Daarnaast heeft u nu als melkveehouder de mogelijkheid om uw eigen visie te toetsen aan wat er leeft bij uw collega’s. Samengevat vinden de biologische melkveehouders dat zij een veilig en gezond product moeten leveren op een maatschappelijk en economisch verantwoorde manier met gezonde koeie

Bloedingsziekte in paardenkastanje

Samenvatting van de voordracht te houden op 30 november 2005 tijdens de Najaarsvergadering van de KNPV (Koninklijke Nederlandse Plantenziektekundige Vereniging). Onderzoek naar oorzaak en distributie van de paardenkastanjeziekt

Taxonomie van plant-pathogene schimmels als basis voor identificatie en detectie: resultaten van het Uitvoeringsconsortium Schimmels

Plant-pathogene schimmels worden traditioneel geïdentificeerd op basis van morfologische karakteristieken. Dit is over het algemeen tijdrovend, veel expertise en leidt vaak tot misidentificatie. Het doel van het werk uitgevoerd door het Uitvoeringsconsortium Schimmels was dan ook gericht op de verbetering van detectie- en identificatietechnieken van plant pathogene schimmels met de nadruk op quarantaineorganismen. Op grond van het economische, wetenschappelijke, en ecologische belang, de aanwezigheid van Q-organismen, en de wetenschappelijke startpositie binnen Nederland is in eerste instantie de keuze gevallen op de geslachten Colletotrichum, Phoma, en Phytophthora. De gegenereerde dat zijn opgenomen in de Q-bank

Policy-relevant spatial indicators of urban liveability and sustainability : Scaling from local to global

[English] Urban liveability is a global priority for creating healthy, sustainable cities. Measurement of policy-relevant spatial indicators of the built and natural environment supports city planning at all levels of government. Analysis of their spatial distribution within cities, and impacts on individuals and communities, is crucial to ensure planning decisions are effective and equitable. This paper outlines challenges and lessons from a 5-year collaborative research program, scaling up a software workflow for calculating a composite indicator of urban liveability for residential address points across Melbourne, to Australia’s 21 largest cities, and further extension to 25 global cities in diverse contexts. [Chinese] 城市宜居性是创建健康、可持续城市的全球优先事项。对建筑和自然环境的政策相关空间指标的测量支持各级政府的城市规划。分析它们在城市中的空间分布，以及对个人和社区的影响，对于确保规划决策的有效性和公平性至关重要。本文概述了一个为期5年的合作研究项目所面临的挑战和经验教训，该项目将计算墨尔本住宅地址点的城市宜居性综合指标的软件工作流程扩大到澳大利亚21个最大的城市，并进一步扩展到25个不同背景的全球城市

Pity for economically disadvantaged groups motivates donation and ally collective action intentions

We argue that pity can motivate collective action intentions toward groups that are both politically and economically deprived. We tested this connection in four online surveys and an experiment. In Study 1 (N = 1,007), pity for the Roma in Hungary predicted collective action intentions, which was replicated in Study 2 in connection with refugees in Germany (N = 191) and in Hungary (N = 563). Study 3 (N = 475) demonstrated that for not economically but politically disadvantaged groups (e.g., sexual minorities), pity was not a predictor of ally action. In an experiment (Study 4, N = 447), pity was just as strong a predictor of collective action intentions as outrage on behalf of an economically and politically disadvantaged outgroup. Pity can be a mobilizing emotion when it comes to groups that are both economically and politically disadvantaged; however, outrage remains more important in the absence of economic hardship