Pollinator behaviour and prevalence of the anther smut Antherospora vindobonensis in its host, the Hungarian two-leaf squill (Scilla vindobonensis).

ABSTRACT: Anther smuts are fungal diseases that have detrimental effects on the biology of their host plants. We investigated the transmission of Anther smut Antherospora vindobonensis to its host, Scilla vindobonensis under natural and laboratory conditions. Plants flowering early in spring were less vulnerable to disease (∼ 20-30% of plants which appeared early in the season were diseased) than flowers that bloom at the end of the season (∼ 60% of plants which appeared late in the season were diseased) which contradicts the patterns observed for other anther smuts species. Diseased plants showed thicker stems, lower nectar production and smaller flower radius than healthy plants. The disease prevalence in S. vindobonensis was not influenced by plant density. The production of spores in diseased fl

SUBMITTER: Prokop P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11439859 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature