Webinar Evaluation Rubric for Extension Teaching

This archival publication may not reflect current scientific knowledge or recommendations. Current information available from the University of Minnesota Extension: https://www.extension.umn.edu.This is an evaluation tool that will assess the effectiveness and quality of extension staff teaching. This evaluation tool will be used by practicing webinar facilitators who want a way to evaluate their work and demonstrate teaching excellence. This rubric may be used as a reflective practice tool for the teacher, and/or as a peer review by a colleague

Multiple ITS Copies Reveal Extensive Hybridization within Rheum (Polygonaceae), a Genus That Has Undergone Rapid Radiation

During adaptive radiation events, characters can arise multiple times due to parallel evolution, but transfer of traits through hybridization provides an alternative explanation for the same character appearing in apparently non-sister lineages. The signature of hybridization can be detected in incongruence between phylogenies derived from different markers, or from the presence of two divergent versions of a nuclear marker such as ITS within one individual.In this study, we cloned and sequenced ITS regions for 30 species of the genus Rheum, and compared them with a cpDNA phylogeny. Seven species contained two divergent copies of ITS that resolved in different clades from one another in each case, indicating hybridization events too recent for concerted evolution to have homogenised the ITS sequences. Hybridization was also indicated in at least two further species via incongruence in their position between ITS and cpDNA phylogenies. None of the ITS sequences present in these nine species matched those detected in any other species, which provides tentative evidence against recent introgression as an explanation. Rheum globulosum, previously indicated by cpDNA to represent an independent origin of decumbent habit, is indicated by ITS to be part of clade of decumbent species, which acquired cpDNA of another clade via hybridization. However decumbent and glasshouse morphology are confirmed to have arisen three and two times, respectively.These findings suggested that hybridization among QTP species of Rheum has been extensive, and that a role of hybridization in diversification of Rheum requires investigation

DNA barcoding of oomycetes with cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and internal transcribed spacer

Oomycete species occupy many different environments and many ecological niches. The genera Phytophthora and Pythium for example, contain many plant pathogens which cause enormous damage to a wide range of plant species. Proper identification to the species level is a critical first step in any investigation of oomycetes, whether it is research driven or compelled by the need for rapid and accurate diagnostics during a pathogen outbreak. The use of DNA for oomycete species identification is well established, but DNA barcoding with cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) is a relatively new approach that has yet to be assessed over a significant sample of oomycete genera. In this study we have sequenced COI, from 1205 isolates representing 23 genera. A comparison to internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences from the same isolates showed that COI identification is a practical option; complementary because it uses the mitochondrial genome instead of nuclear DNA. In some cases COI was more discriminative than ITS at the species level. This is in contrast to the large ribosomal subunit, which showed poor species resolution when sequenced from a subset of the isolates used in this study. The results described in this paper indicate that COI sequencing and the dataset generated are a valuable addition to the currently available oomycete taxonomy resources, and that both COI, the default DNA barcode supported by GenBank, and ITS, the de facto barcode accepted by the oomycete and mycology community, are acceptable and complementary DNA barcodes to be used for identification of oomycetes

Molecular techniques for pathogen identification and fungus detection in the environment

Many species of fungi can cause disease in plants, animals and humans. Accurate and robust detection and quantification of fungi is essential for diagnosis, modeling and surveillance. Also direct detection of fungi enables a deeper understanding of natural microbial communities, particularly as a great many fungi are difficult or impossible to cultivate. In the last decade, effective amplification platforms, probe development and various quantitative PCR technologies have revolutionized research on fungal detection and identification. Examples of the latest technology in fungal detection and differentiation are discussed here

Taxonomy, DNA barcoding and phylogeny of three new species of Pythium from Canada

Three new species of Pythium, namely, P. oopapillum, P. emineosum and P. camurandrum are presented in this paper based on morphological descriptions and molecular phylogenetic characterisation. These new species were isolated from various ecological regions in Canada. They have unique morphological features in the genus Pythium, and form distinct clades in maximum parsimony analyses, which are also supported by maximum likelihood phylogeny using general time reversible model (GTR), and Bayesian inference (BI) phylogeny using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) analysis methods. A comparative study of the new species with closely related taxa, their clade positions, and morphological features are described in this paper

Phytopythium: molecular phylogeny and systematics

The genus Phytopythium (Peronosporales) has been described, but a complete circumscription has not yet been presented. In the present paper we provide molecular-based evidence that members of Pythium clade K as described by Lévesque & de Cock (2004) belong to Phytopythium. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (LSU and SSU) and mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) as well as statistical analyses of pairwise distances strongly support the status of Phytopythium as a separate phylogenetic entity. Phytopythium is morphologically intermediate between the genera Phytophthora and Pythium. It is unique in having papillate, internally proliferating sporangia and cylindrical or lobate antheridia. The formal transfer of clade K species to Phytopythium and a comparison with morphologically similar species of the genera Pythium and Phytophthora is presented. A new species is described, Phytopythium mirpurense