Melampsoridium hiratsukanum – invasive rust species in Lithuania, and its co-occurrence with eriophylid mite

An invasive East Asian rust fungus Melampsoridium hiratsukanum, obligate biotroph belonging to Pucciniastraceae, Pucciniales (Basidiomycota) is found widely spread on leaves of Alnus incana in eastern, central and southern parts of Lithuania. On Alnus glutinosa this fungus is rare, sometimes occurring with an alder leaf pest, a microscopic eriophyid gall mite Acalitus brevitarsus. Information on the distribution patterns, ecological and morphological characters of this neomycete is given

Species diversity and composition of fungal communities in a Scots pine forest affected by the great cormorant colony

A Scots pine forest, affected by the great cormorant colony, was studied by plot-based fungal survey method during the years 2010-2012 in Lithuania. Diversity and composition of fungal communities were investigated at five zones that had been influenced by different stages of breeding colony establishment: starting-point and almost abandoned cormorant colony part (zones A and B), active part (zones C and D), and the edge of the colony (zone E). The control zone G in undamaged by cormorants pine stand was assessed too. A total of 257 fungal species of ascomycetes including anamorphic fungi, basidiomycetes and zygomycetes were recorded. Seven species were registered for the first time in Lithuania. Species richness in the examined zones varied, lowest being in zones B (51 species), C (46) and D (73) and almost twice as high in the zones A and E (129 and 120, respectively). The comparison of fungal species compositions of different zones showed that their similarity was rather low (SS: 0.22–0.59). The most obvious changes in the trophic structure of fungal communities in the territory occupied by the bird colony were a strong decrease of mycorrhizal species, the presence of coprophilous fungi on forest litter, and the appearance of host-specialized fungi on alien and non-forest plants that have established in the disturbed forest

Diversity, migration routes, and worldwide population genetic structure of Lecanosticta acicola, the causal agent of brown spot needle blight

Lecanosticta acicola is a pine needle pathogen causing brown spot needle blight that results in premature needle shedding with considerable damage described in North America, Europe, and Asia. Microsatellite and mating type markers were used to study the population genetics, migration history, and reproduction mode of the pathogen, based on a collection of 650 isolates from 27 countries and 26 hosts across the range of L. acicola. The presence of L. acicola in Georgia was confirmed in this study. Migration analyses indicate there have been several introduction events from North America into Europe. However, some of the source populations still appear to remain unknown. The populations in Croatia and western Asia appear to originate from genetically similar populations in North America. Intercontinental movement of the pathogen was reflected in an identical haplotype occurring on two continents, in North America (Canada) and Europe (Germany). Several shared haplotypes between European populations further suggests more local pathogen movement between countries. Moreover, migration analyses indicate that the populations in northern Europe originate from more established populations in central Europe. Overall, the highest genetic diversity was observed in south-eastern USA. In Europe, the highest diversity was observed in France, where the presence of both known pathogen lineages was recorded. Less than half of the observed populations contained mating types in equal proportions. Although there is evidence of some sexual reproduction taking place, the pathogen spreads predominantly asexually and through anthropogenic activity

Global Geographic Distribution and Host Range of Fusarium circinatum, the Causal Agent of Pine Pitch Canker

Funding: This study was financially supported by COST Action FP1406 (PINESTRENGTH), the Estonian Science Foundation grant PSG136, the Forestry Commission, United Kingdom, the Phytophthora Research Centre Reg. No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15_003/0000453, a project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. ANSES is supported by a grant managed by the French National Research Agency (ANR) as part of the “Investissements d’Avenir” programme (ANR-11-LABX-0002-01, Laboratory of ExcellenceARBRE). SW was partly supported by BBSRC Grant reference BB/L012251/1 “Promoting resilience of UK tree species to novel pests & pathogens: ecological & evolutionary solutions (PROTREE)” jointly funded by BBSRC, Defra, ESRC, the Forestry Commission, NERC and the Scottish Government, under the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Initiative. Annual surveys in Switzerland were financially supported by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment FOEN. Acknowledgments: Andrea Kunova and Cristina Pizzatti are acknowledged for the assistance in the sampling. Thanks are due to Dina Ribeiro and Helena Marques from ICNF-Portuguese Forest Authority for providing location coordinates. We thank three anonymous reviwers for valuable corrections and suggestions.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Melampsoridium hiratsukanum – invasive rust species in Lithuania, and its co-occurrence with eriophylid mite

An invasive East Asian rust fungus Melampsoridium hiratsukanum, obligate biotroph belonging to Pucciniastraceae, Pucciniales (Basidiomycota) is found widely spread on leaves of Alnus incana in eastern, central and southern parts of Lithuania. On Alnus glutinosa this fungus is rare, sometimes occurring with an alder leaf pest, a microscopic eriophyid gall mite Acalitus brevitarsus. Information on the distribution patterns, ecological and morphological characters of this neomycete is given

Compact electro-permeabilization system for control led treatment of biological cells and cell medium conductivity change measurement

Subjection of biological cells to high intensity pu lsed electric field results in the permeabilization of the cell membrane. Measurement of the electrical conductivity change a llows an analysis of the dynamics of the process, determination of the permeabilization thresholds, and ion efflux influence. In this work a compact electro-permeabilization system for controlled treatment of biological cells is presented. The system is capable of delivering 5 μs – 5 ms repetitive square wave electric field pulses with amplitude up to 1 kV. Evaluation of the cell medium conductivity change is implemented in the set up, allowing indirect measurement of the ion concentration changes occurring due to the cell membrane permeabilization. The simulation model using SPICE and the experimental data of the proposed system are presented in this work. Experimental data with biological cells is also overviewed

First molecular detection of Lecanosticta acicola from Poland on Pinus mugo

Article Number: e12589; Document Type:Article; Early AccessThe presence of quarantine pathogen Lecanosticta acicola, the causal agent of brown spot needle blight, was confirmed using molecular methods for the first time in northern part of Poland on the coastal area adjacent to the Baltic Sea. This area includes sandy beaches, where Pinus mugo and P. sylvestris were planted. Symptomatic needles were collected in 2017 from 20 P. mugo trees growing in one stand in Ustka. Typical symptoms of brown spot needle blight infection, including dead needle tips and central zones with yellow or reddish brown, circular spots in green tissue, were observed on all samples. Only, the asexual stage of L. acicola was obtained during this work. The pathogen species identity was confirmed using classical morphological methods (microscopic examination of the infected needles), real-time and species-specific priming (SSPP) PCR, and ITS sequencing. Analysis of mating-type (MAT) genes showed the presence of both mating types in northern PolandBiologijos katedraGamtos tyrimų centro Botanikos institutasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Pine Fungal Diseases and Their Management in Public and Private Nurseries

Concerns over the health of trees in the Europe has increased dramatically in recent years with the appearance of several emerging fungal pathogens previously unknown in the European countries which can affect growth and cause mortality of many trees species. Public urban green spaces (parks, forests, green roofs and community gardens) have played an important role in reducing the level of pollutions and creating the better living conditions for people. A good management at private and public nurseries is important to ensure growth of good quality plants. Nursery managers are responsible for the day-to-day operations of a nursery. In the present study, we have established questionnaire to analyze and evaluate information from managers responsible for forests containing a substantial component of pines in their mix of tree species. The key questions were related with the susceptibility of pine to Dothistroma septosporum and Lecanosticta acicola pathogens and knowledge about how they spread. These fungal pathogens cause needle necrosis and premature needle loss, resulting in substantial growth loss. In February of 2017, the 32 public and private land managers were interviewed. The analysis of questionnaire answers shows that Pinus sylvestris, Pinus mugo, Pinus nigra are the main pine species grown in Lithuania. The respondents indicated Pinus strobus and Pinus ponderosa pine species as having the lowest resistance for fungal diseases. Some nurseries are imported pines seeds and seedlings in Lithuania from the southern and central parts of Europe. Pines growing in Lithuania are exported to the northern, eastern, southern and western European countries. This is the potential disease pathways. Respondents’ answers demonstrated that a lot of private and public nurseries have not enough knowledge about fungal diseases (their spread, plant susceptibility, and etc.).[...]Biologijos katedraGamtos mokslų fakultetasGamtos tyrimų centro Botanikos institutasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Compact Electro-Permeabilization System for Controlled Treatment of Biological Cells and Cell Medium Conductivity Change Measurement

Subjection of biological cells to high intensity pulsed electric field results in the permeabilization of the cell membrane. Measurement of the electrical conductivity change allows an analysis of the dynamics of the process, determination of the permeabilization thresholds, and ion efflux influence. In this work a compact electro-permeabilization system for controlled treatment of biological cells is presented. The system is capable of delivering 5 μs - 5 ms repetitive square wave electric field pulses with amplitude up to 1 kV. Evaluation of the cell medium conductivity change is implemented in the setup, allowing indirect measurement of the ion concentration changes occurring due to the cell membrane permeabilization. The simulation model using SPICE and the experimental data of the proposed system are presented in this work. Experimental data with biological cells is also overviewe