| Scorias spongiosa | |
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| Scorias spongiosa | |
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| Species: | S. spongiosa |
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| Scorias spongiosa Schweinitz, 1822 | |
Scorias spongiosa is a sooty mold fungus that grows on aphid honeydew. It is a member of the Capnodiaceae family of ascomycete fungi. It is found only on American beech trees, Fagus grandifolia .
Scorias spongiosa is a specialist and grows exclusively on the honeydew formed by colonies of the beech blight aphid, Grylloprociphilus imbricator . This aphid is found only on one host plant, the American beech tree, Fagus grandifolia , where it congregates on branches and twigs, creating copious amounts of honeydew that drip onto vegetation below. [1] The large quantity of honeydew enables this fungus to grow to a large size, much bigger than other sooty mould fungi, which produce only a thin black layer on the surface of leaves. On tree trunks this fungus has been known to grow into a mass of hyphae as big as a football, but it is more usual for the agglomeration on branches or twigs to reach a diameter of about fifteen centimetres. [2]
The aphids accumulate in late summer and autumn, forming large colonies. Spores of Scorias spongiosa are borne by wind and rain and fall on the honeydew secretions found below the aphids. The first hyphal growth is straw coloured and unpigmented. The hyphae adhere to each other for short distances, diverging and re-adhering to form a loose stranded structure. Pigmentation begins to occur on the surfaces of outer strands and the stroma begins to darken. The hyphae coalesce and form mycelial strands which radiate outward and upward from the supporting structure. [3] Flask-shaped, spore-bearing pycnidia appear on the mycelia, which have a waxlike appearance: the matrix turns from brittle to soft as it absorbs moisture. [4] As further quantities of honeydew accumulate, the fungus grows larger until it resembles a gelatinous sponge resting on the branches or leaves of the beech tree. Fully pigmented strands in the mature stoma produce bowl-shaped pseudothecia and these outermost hyphae cease to grow. The inner strands continue growth and force their way to the exterior. Asexual conidia are extruded in a slimy matrix in liquid droplets from the pycnidia. As time passes the stroma becomes a spongy black mass and produces sexual spores called ascospores in the pseudothecia, which remain embedded in the stroma. [2] [3]
Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The defining feature of this fungal group is the "ascus", a microscopic sexual structure in which nonmotile spores, called ascospores, are formed. However, some species of Ascomycota are asexual and thus do not form asci or ascospores. Familiar examples of sac fungi include morels, truffles, brewers' and bakers' yeast, dead man's fingers, and cup fungi. The fungal symbionts in the majority of lichens such as Cladonia belong to the Ascomycota.
A hypha is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium.
An ascocarp, or ascoma, is the fruiting body (sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. Ascocarps are most commonly bowl-shaped (apothecia) but may take on a spherical or flask-like form that has a pore opening to release spores (perithecia) or no opening (cleistothecia).
Fagus grandifolia, the American beech or North American beech, is the only species of beech native to North America. Its current range comprises the eastern United States, isolated pockets of Mexico and southeastern Canada. Prior to the glacial maximum of the Pleistocene epoch, the tree flourished over most of North America, reaching California.
A conidium, sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium, is an asexual, non-motile spore of a fungus. The word conidium comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, κόνις (kónis). They are also called mitospores due to the way they are generated through the cellular process of mitosis. They are produced exogenously. The two new haploid cells are genetically identical to the haploid parent, and can develop into new organisms if conditions are favorable, and serve in biological dispersal.
Woolly aphids are sap-sucking insects that produce a filamentous waxy white covering which resembles cotton or wool. The adults are winged and move to new locations where they lay egg masses. The nymphs often form large cottony masses on twigs, for protection from predators.
Sooty mold is a collective term for different Ascomycete fungi, which includes many genera, commonly Cladosporium and Alternaria. It grows on plants and their fruit, but also environmental objects, like fences, garden furniture, stones, and even cars. The mold benefits from either a sugary exudate produced by the plant or fruit, or honeydew-secreting insects or sap suckers the plant may be infested by.
Ophiognomonia clavigignenti-juglandacearum is a mitosporic fungus that causes the butternut canker, a lethal disease of butternut trees. It is also known to parasitize other members of the genus Juglans on occasion, and very rarely other related trees including hickories. The fungus is found throughout North America, occurring on up to 91% of butternut trees, and may be threatening the viability of butternut as a species.
The beech blight aphid is a small insect in the order Hemiptera that feed primarily on the sap of American beech trees. The aphids form dense colonies on small branches and the undersides of leaves. A secondary host, based on their geographic location, is the roots of the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), where some aphids alternate between hosts and others remain with Taxodium distichum year-round.
Monilinia fructicola is a species of fungus in the order Helotiales. A plant pathogen, it is the causal agent of brown rot of stone fruits.
Leptosphaeria coniothyrium is a plant pathogen. It can be found around the world.
Zymoseptoria tritici, synonyms Septoria tritici, Mycosphaerella graminicola, is a species of filamentous fungus, an ascomycete in the family Mycosphaerellaceae. It is a wheat plant pathogen causing septoria leaf blotch that is difficult to control due to resistance to multiple fungicides. The pathogen today causes one of the most important diseases of wheat.
Botryosphaeria ribis is a fungal plant pathogen that infects many trees causing cankers, dieback and death.
Scorias is a genus of fungi within the Capnodiaceae family. The genus was first described by Elias Magnus Fries in 1832. The fungus is known as sooty mould and is found growing on honeydew on leaves of many varieties of trees and plants.
Bot canker of oak is a disease on stems, branches and twigs of oak trees in Europe and North America. The casual agent of Bot canker of oak is the fungus Botryosphaeria corticola. Bot canker of oak causes lesions and cankers on a wide range of oaks in Europe and most recently live oaks in North America. Some infections were formerly attributed to Botryosphaeria stevensii, but most likely represent infections by Botryosphaeria corticola. Botryosphaeria corticola is distinguishable from Botryosphaeria stevensii via ITS rDNA sequencing.
Keissleriella rara is a rare species of fungus in the family Lophiostomataceae. The species fruits exclusively on dead or dying standing culms of the saltmarsh plant Juncus roemerianus. It is known only from the Atlantic Coast of North Carolina.
Ascochyta blights occur throughout the world and can be of significant economic importance. Three fungi contribute to the ascochyta blight disease complex of pea. Ascochyta pinodes causes Mycosphaerella blight. Ascochyta pinodella causes Ascochyta foot rot, and Ascochyta pisi causes Ascochyta blight and pod spot. Of the three fungi, Ascochyta pinodes is of the most importance. These diseases are conducive under wet and humid conditions and can cause a yield loss of up to fifty percent if left uncontrolled. The best method to control ascochyta blights of pea is to reduce the amount of primary inoculum through sanitation, crop-rotation, and altering the sowing date. Other methods—chemical control, biological control, and development of resistant varieties—may also be used to effectively control ascochyta diseases.
Phomopsisblight of juniper is a foliar disease discovered in 1917 caused by the fungal pathogen Phomopsis juniperovora. The fungus infects new growth of juniper trees or shrubs, i.e. the seedlings or young shoots of mature trees. Infection begins with the germination of asexual conidia, borne from pycnidia, on susceptible tissue, the mycelia gradually move inwards down the branch, and into the main stem. Management strategies mainly include removing and destroying diseased tissue and limiting the presence of moisture on plants. Junipers become resistant to infection as they mature and the young yellow shoots turn dark green. Preventive strategies include planting only resistant varieties and spraying new growth with fungicide until plants have matured.
This glossary of mycology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to mycology, the study of fungi. Terms in common with other fields, if repeated here, generally focus on their mycology-specific meaning. Related terms can be found in glossary of biology and glossary of botany, among others. List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names and Botanical Latin may also be relevant, although some prefixes and suffixes very common in mycology are repeated here for clarity.
| Authority control databases: National |
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