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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Miami, Florida » Subtropical Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #308862
Title: Geographic variation in the mycangial mycoflora of Xyleborus glabratus in Florida

Author
item CAMPBELL, ALINA - University Of Florida
item PLOETZ, RANDY - University Of Florida
item Kendra, Paul
item Montgomery, Wayne

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/28/2014
Publication Date: 8/9/2014
Citation: Campbell, A.S., Ploetz, R.C., Kendra, P.E., Montgomery, W.S. 2014. Geographic variation in the mycangial mycoflora of Xyleborus glabratus in Florida. Annual Meeting Phytopathological Society, Minneapolis, MN 9-13 August 2014.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Laurel wilt kills Persea borbonia and other American members of the Lauraceae. It is caused by Raffaelea lauricola, a fungal symbiont of an exotic ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus. R. lauricola and other fungi were quantified in X. glabratrus collected from three locations in Florida. A Miami-Dade Co. (MDC) site, 25.8oN, was populated by P. palustris, a Highlands Co. (HC) site, 27.9oN, by P. borbonia, P. humulis and P. palustris, and an Alachua Co. (AC) site, 29.8oN, by P. borbonia. Mycangia from individual females were macerated and plated on CSMA and ½ PDA. Seven putative taxa were identified based on identical LSU genotypes and colony phenotypes. With the exception of R. lauricola and Zygozyma oligophaga, it was not possible to match LSU genotypes/sequences with those deposited in GenBank, as the remaining taxa were 98 to 99% similar to two or more species of Fragosphaeria, Leptographium, Grosmannia and/or Ophiostoma. The numbers of R. lauricola colony forming units (CFUs) in X. glabratrus varied by location (p<0.0003), as beetles from MDC had more CFUs (3,532) than those from HC (2,593) and AC (1,829). The numbers of fungal species also differed by location (p<.0001), as 80% of the individuals from AC and MDC carried =3 species, compared to 31% of those from HC. The results indicate that climate and vegetation may affect fungal diversity and the relative abundance of R. lauricola in the mycangia of X. glabratus.