Molecular identification and relative abundance of cryptic Lophodermium species in natural populations of Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L

• Published in: Fungal biology 2014-09, Vol.118 (9-10), p.835-845
• Main Authors: Reignoux, Sabrina N.A., Green, Sarah, Ennos, Richard A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actin; AFLP; Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; Ascomycota - classification; Ascomycota - genetics; Ascomycota - isolation & purification; Cluster Analysis; Cryptic species; DNA, Fungal - chemistry; DNA, Fungal - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer - chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer - genetics; Endophyte; Endophytes - classification; Endophytes - genetics; Endophytes - isolation & purification; ITS; Lophodermium; Molecular phylogeny; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Pinus sylvestris - microbiology; Scotland; Sequence Analysis, DNA
• ISSN: 1878-6146; 1878-6162
• DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2014.07.002

The multi-locus phylogenetic species recognition approach and population genetic analysis of Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers were used to delineate Lophodermium taxa inhabiting needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in native pinewoods within Scotland. These analyses revealed three major lineages corresponding to the morphological species Lophodermium seditiosum and Lophodermium conigenum, fruiting on broken branches, and Lophodermium pinastri, fruiting on naturally fallen needles. Within L. pinastri three well supported sister clades were found representing cryptic taxa designated L. pinastri I, L. pinastri II, and L. pinastri III. Significant differences in mean growth rate in culture were found among the cryptic taxa. Taxon-specific primers based on ITS sequences were designed and used to classify over 500 Lophodermium isolates, derived from fallen needles of P. sylvestris in three Scottish and one French pinewood site, into the three L. pinastri cryptic taxa. Highly significant differences in the relative abundance of the three taxa were found among the Scottish pinewood sites, and between the French and all of the Scottish sites. •Lophodermium isolates from Pinus sylvestris in Scotland comprise five taxa.•Three cryptic taxa are present within the endophyte Lophodermium pinastri.•The cryptic taxa differ significantly in culture morphology and growth rate.•Frequencies of cryptic taxa vary among natural populations of P. sylvestris.