Gene genealogies reveal global phylogeographic structure and reproductive isolation among lineages of Fusarium graminearum, the fungus causing wheat scab.

ABSTRACT: During the past decade, the plant disease called scab or Fusarium head blight of wheat and barley has reached epidemic proportions in North America and elsewhere in the world. Scab is an economically devastating plant disease, not only because it causes significant reduction in seed yields and quality, but also because infested seeds are often contaminated with trichothecene and estrogenic mycotoxins that pose a serious threat to animal health and food safety. To test whether the primary etiological agent of scab, the fungus Fusarium graminearum, is panmictic throughout its range, allelic genealogies were constructed from six single-copy nuclear genes from strains selected to represent the global genetic diversity of this pathogen. Excluding one hybrid strain, all six genealogies recovered

SUBMITTER: O'Donnell K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC16643 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature