Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #126162
Title: CRYPTIC SPECIATION IN GIBBERELLA FUJIKUROI MATING POPULATION E

Author
item STEENKAMP, E - UNIV OF PRETORIA/S AFRICA
item COUTINHO, T - UNIV OF PRETORIA/S AFRICA
item Desjardins, Anne
item WINGFIELD, B - UNIV OF PRETORIA/S AFRICA
item MARASAS, W - PROMEC/SOUTH AFRICA
item WINGFIELD, M - UNIV OF PRETORIA/S AFRICA

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/30/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fusarium species in the Gibberella fujikuroi complex are classified using either a biological, morphological or phylogenetic species concept. Results from recent studies have suggested discordance between the biological and phylogenetic species concepts, since a group of isolates belonging to G. fujikuroi mating population E resided in more than one phylogenetic lineage. Our aim was to determine whether this separation represents a speciation event. For this purpose we used 29 mating population E isolates from a wide geographic range. DNA sequence data for six nuclear regions were obtained for each of these isolates and used in parsimony-based phylogenetic analyses. The results indicated that mating population E is separated into two reproductively isolated groups that represent separate species. This study clearly shows that the biological species concept should be used with caution when dealing with these and similar fungi.