ALBERT

Description: In the absence of native forests, non-native plantation forests have been identified as having an important function in conserving native biodiversity world-wide, including fungal biodiversity. The non-native tree species Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière) is now the most abundant tree species in forests in Ireland and Britain, and these forests have been the focus of recent research into their ability to conserve native biodiversity. We conducted an analysis using data from macrofungal surveys from Sitka spruce forests in its native (Vancouver Island, Canada) and non-native (Ireland and Britain) range. Also included in all analyses were data for macrofungal diversity from other native tree species forests in each of the three regions. A total of 630 macrofungal species from seven forest types were analyzed, including 122, 247, and 70 species from Irish, British, and Vancouver Island Sitka spruce forests, respectively. In all three regions, notwithstanding differences in the ages of the sites surveyed in each region, the Sitka spruce forests were found to have species richness similar to that of the other forests types investigated. The communities of the Sitka spruce forests were clearly different in each of the regions, with only 17 species shared among Sitka spruce forests in all three regions. Overall, we found that Sitka spruce plantations in Ireland and Britain could provide a complementary ecosystem for native macrofungi, acting as a suitable forest type for many macrofungi in the absence of native forests. By encouraging the development of old-growth conditions in some plantations, along with the conservation of already existing seminatural forests in Britain and Ireland, we believe the best situation for macrofungal conservation can be achieved.

Description: The Phytophthora genus includes some of the most devastating plant pathogens. Here we report draft genome sequences for three ubiquitous Phytophthora species—Phytophthora chlamydospora, Phytophthora gonapodyides, and Phytophthora pseudosyringae. Phytophthora pseudosyringae is an important forest pathogen that is abundant in Europe and North America. Phytophthora chlamydospora and Ph. gonapodyides are globally widespread species often associated with aquatic habitats. They are both regarded as opportunistic plant pathogens. The three sequenced genomes range in size from 45 Mb to 61 Mb. Similar to other oomycete species, tandem gene duplication appears to have played an important role in the expansion of effector arsenals. Comparative analysis of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) across 44 oomycete genomes indicates that oomycete lifestyles may be linked to CAZyme repertoires. The mitochondrial genome sequence of each species was also determined, and their gene content and genome structure were compared. Using mass spectrometry, we characterised the extracellular proteome of each species and identified large numbers of proteins putatively involved in pathogenicity and osmotrophy. The mycelial proteome of each species was also characterised using mass spectrometry. In total, the expression of approximately 3000 genes per species was validated at the protein level. These genome resources will be valuable for future studies to understand the behaviour of these three widespread Phytophthora species.