Gnawing damage by rodents to the seedlings ofFagus crenata andQuercus mongolica var.grosseserrata in a temperateSasa grassland-deciduous forest series in southwestern Japan

The effects of dwarf bamboo,Sasa, cover on the initial morrality of hardwood seedlings were investigated by transplanting 1-year-old beech (Fagus crenata) and current-year oak (Quercus mongolica var.grosseserrata) seedling to three different stands; old-growth beech and secondary oak forests withSasa undergrowth, and aSasa grassland in a grassland-forest series near the top of Mt Jippo, southwestern Japan. The most frequent cause of seedling morrality was gnawing of the stems by rodents. In the beech forest, the gnawing was more likely to occur underSasa cover, suggesting that it provides a good habitat for rodents on the beech forest floor. TheSasa under growth may thus play an imporrant role in regeneration of beech forest. In the oak floor, mortality of both species was low and only a little gnawing occurred during a year. However, no natural oak seedling were found in the forest even after a mast year. This may be because most of the acorns disappeated before establishment. The early-stage demography of hardwood seedling as oak may thus play an imporrant role in regeneration of oak forest. In theSasa grassland where the seed supply is small, almost all of the seedlings died fromo gnawing regardless of the presence ofSasa cover. These factors prevent the recruitment of a sizable seedling bank. Rodents may thus play an imporrant role in maintenance of theSasa grassland.     

Comparative study of leaf carbon gain in saplings ofThujopsis dolabrata var.hondai andQuercus mongolica var.grosseserrata in a cool-temperate deciduous forest

Seasonal courses of leaf CO₂ gas exchange in a growing season were examined in saplings ofThujopsis dolabrata var.hondai andQuercus mongolica var.grosseserrata in a cool temperate deciduous forest. Between the two tree species there were no large differences in the light compensation point of leaf photosynthesis, except for the season of new leaf expansion. However, light-saturated rates of net photosynthesis were obviously high inT. dolabrata var.hondai. EvergreenT. dolabrata var.hondai saplings had large photosynthetic production in two seasons, before the emergence of new foliage and after foliage fall of the overstory deciduous trees, because of the significantly high solar radiant energy penetrating under the forest canopy during the seasons. Saplings of deciduousQ. mongolica var.grosseserrata were heavily shaded throughout the growing season by foliage of the overstory trees, which resulted in a low daily surplus production. The annual surplus production of leaves in the growing season was estimated to be 2300 mmol CO₂ m⁻² inT. dolabrata var.hondai and −100 mmol CO₂ m⁻², slightly negative, inQ. mongolica var.grosseserrata. These results supported the high survivability ofT. dolabrata var.hondai saplings and the high mortality ofQ. mongolica var.grosseserrata in the deciduous forest.     

Monilinia jezoensis sp. nov. in the Sclerotiniaceae, causing leaf blight and mummy fruit disease of Rhododendron kaempferi in Hokkaido, northern Japan

A new leaf blight and mummy fruit disease caused by a species of Monilinia was first found on Rhododendron kaempferi at the lakeside of Shikotsu-ko, Hokkaido, northern Japan, in 2002. Studies on morphology, life cycle, cultural characters, and gene analyses of the causal fungus enabled us to conclude that it is a new species of the genus. It is named M. jezoensis. Rhododendron is a new host genus for Monilinia fungi in Japan.     

Detection and features of wetwood in Quercus mongolica var. grosseserrata

To elucidate the location of water in wetwood, variations in moisture content within a tree of Quercus mongolica var. grosseserrata were observed macroscopically by determination of moisture content and by soft x-ray photography. Then the typical wetwood, which had been precisely located by such macroscopic analysis, was examined further by cryo-scanning electron microscopy. The moisture content varied considerably within the tree trunk, and typical wetwood was detected in limited regions of the heartwood. The distribution of the wetwood did not always correspond to the discoloration of the wood. In the wetwood, almost all the lumina of vessels and fibers were filled with water, while the lumina of ray and axial parenchyma cells were often cavitated. Intercellular spaces produced by deformation of cell walls and radial shakes were filled with water. In addition, tyloses were collapsed and torn in the wetwood, and they did not block the vessel lumina. These results suggest the possibility that vessels and fibers might serve as effective pathways for the accumulation of water in the wetwood.     

Monilinia ssiori sp. nov. in the Sclerotiniaceae, causing leaf blight and young fruit rot of Prunus ssiori in Japan

The leaf blight and mummy fruit disease fungus of Prunus ssiori in northern Japan is newly named M. ssiori, as a fourth member in the M. padi group of section Disjunctoriae of the genus Monilinia (Sclerotiniaceae). It has been misidentified with Monilinia kusanoi, but recent studies show it is different from M. kusanoi as well as other related species on prunaceous hosts in respect to host relation, pathogenicity, morphology, and gene analysis.     

Polysaccharides and phenolic compounds as substrate for yeasts isolated from rotten wood and description of Cryptococcus fagi sp.nov.

Pieces of rotten wood collected in the forest were screened for the presence of yeasts. In spring time 3 tree species were sampled, followed by 9 species in summer. Yeast strains were identified by traditional methods. Identifications were confirmed by sequencing of ribosomal DNA in case of doubt. In total 14 yeast species of ascomycetous affiliation and 6 anamorphic basidiomycetous yeasts were isolated and identified. Most species were represented by only one strain, but Candida bertae by two and Trichosporon porosum by six strains, all from different wood samples. Three strains represented novel species, one of which is described as Cryptococcus fagi Middelhoven et Scorzetti. The type strain is CBS 9964 (JCM 13614). All strains were tested for growth on several polysaccharides as sole carbon source. Only some of these polymers supported growth of ascomycetous yeasts. Basidiomycetous yeasts assimilated soluble starch, pullulan, dextran, xylan, polygalacturonate, galactomannan and tannic acid or at least some of these. Cryptococcus podzolicus and T. porosum were the most active in this respect. None of the isolated strains grew on carboxymethyl cellulose, colloidal chitin, arabinogalactan and gum xanthan. Phenolic compounds were assimilated by several strains, belonging to the Trichosporonales and the Microbotryum and Stephanoascus/Blastobotrys clades, but not by members of the Tremellales (Cryptococcus musci excepted) and the Debaryomyces/Lodderomyces clade. Most of the ascomycetes assimilated n-hexadecane.     

Sclerotinia trillii, sp. nov., causing a new sclerotinia disease onTrillium in Japan

Sclerotinia trillii n. sp., which attacksTrillium tschonoskii andT. smallii in Hokkaido and northern Honshu, Japan, is described. The characters identifying this species with the genusSclerotinia are large tuberoid sclerotia, produced both on infected plants and in culture, which consisted of only mycelium (true sclerotia) and flesh apothecia produced on them. This species is distinguished fromS. sclerotiorum, S. minor, S. trifoliorum, andS. nivalis by relatively large sclerotia, cultural colony appearance, and red-brown to yellow-brown, relatively large apothecium, in addition to its parasitic nature onTrillium. Sclerotinia trillii is a psychrophilic having an optimum temperature for mycelial growth at 15–20°C.     

Herbivory pattern and induced responses to simulated herbivory inQuercus mongolica var.grosseserrata

Seasonal changes in leaf traits and the herbivory pattern ofQuercus mongolica var.grosseserrata were studied, and simulated herbivory experiments were carried out in order to evaluate leaf trait responses. Leaves ofQ. mongolica emerged simultaneously in spring and most were retained until autumn. Nitrogen concentration was highest when leaves first emerged and decreased rapidly with leaf age. Leaf mass per area (LMA) increased with leaf age. Herbivore attack was concentrated in the first 20 days after bud-break, which corresponded to the high nutritional value of the leaves for herbivores at this time. Simulated herbivory experiments indicated that LMA increased with artificial leaf damage, suggesting an increase in leaf toughness, and that nitrogen concentration decreased later in the season in comparison with intact leaves. As a result, herbivore attack following artificial leaf damage decreased with increasing initial leaf damage. However, leaf longevity was not affected by initial leaf damage. These responses were considered to be a strategy to disperse herbivory damage among leaves.     

Coemansia furcata sp. nov. and its distribution in Japan and Taiwan

Coemansia furcata, isolated from forest soils of Japan and Taiwan, is described and illustrated. This species is characterised by its sporangiophore branching and relatively large sporocladia. Its distribution in soils of Japan and Taiwan is discussed. Contributions to Sugadaira Montane Research Center, No. 174.     

Cylindrocladium angustatum sp. nov., a new leaf spot pathogen ofTillandsia capitata from Florida, U.S.A.

Cylindrocladium angustatum is described as a new species fromTillandsia introduced with plant material into the U.S.A. from Central America. Koch's postulates are established to prove its pathogenicity to this host. The species is compared with and distinguished fromC. heptaseptatum andC. rumohrae based on morphology, cultural characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of sequence data of the beta-tubulin gene.     

Alternaria brasiliensis sp. nov., a leaf pathogen on Phaseolus vulgaris

Alternaria brasiliensis sp. nov., was isolated from leaves of common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., showing punctiform non concentric leaf spots of brown color. Besides the symptomatological differences, the new Alternaria species presents distinct type of arrangement of conidia chain, body and beak size. The disease was observed in Montanha county, State of Espirito Santo, Brazil, but not yet reported in the literature. The causal agent of the disease is now described by the first time. The epithet used here is referring to the country where the species has been found. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

First Record of Didymella anemones sp. nov. Teleomorph of Ascochyta anemones,the Causal Agent of Leaf Spots on Pulsatilla korreana in China

The teleomorph of Ascochyta anemones has been recorded for the first time on overwintering windflower stalk in Liaoning, China. The features of this new species were described, and it was distinguished from other species to which it is similar. The morphological characteristics of this species, such as asci and ascospores, phylogenetic analysis based on internal transcribed spacer sequences, comparison with similar fungi so far described from Ranunculaceae indicated that the teleomorph is an undescribed species of Didymella.     

Aplopsora corni sp. nov. onCornus controversa from Hokkaido,Japan

Aplopsora corni sp. nov. is proposed for a rust fungus whose uredinial and basidial stage occurs onCornus controversa (Cornaceae) in Hokkaido. This new species is separated by its larger urediniospores and probasidia from the morphologically closely relatedA. nyssae onNyssa aquatica andN. sylvatica (Cornaceae) distributed in southern North America.     

Irpicomyces cornicola sp. nov. fromCornus florida in Japan

Irpicomyces cornicola sp. nov. fromCornus florida in Japan is described and illustrated.     

Phytophthora captiosa sp. nov. and P. fallax sp. nov. causing crown dieback of Eucalyptus in New Zealand

A locally severe crown disease of exotic plantation Eucalyptus trees has been recorded periodically in New Zealand since 1986. Symptoms include leaf spots, petiole infection and twig and small branch lesions. Outbreaks of disease are episodic and individual trees may show marked variation in crown symptoms ranging from unaffected to total defoliation. Two previously unknown species of Phytophthora are associated with the disease. These are described and formally designated here as P. captiosa, from Eucalyptus botryoides and E. saligna; and P. fallax, from E. delegatensis, E. fastigata, E. nitens and E. regnans. Both P. captiosa and P. fallax have non-papillate, non-caducous sporangia and both are self-fertile. Phylogenetic analysis on the basis of ITS rDNA sequence data indicates they are closely related to each other but evolutionarily distant from the majority of described Phytophthora taxa. They share a common ancestor with another assemblage of Phytophthora lineages that includes P. insolita, P. macrochlamydospora and P. richardiae. Sporulation of P. captiosa and P. fallax has not been observed in the field. The mode of infection and spread of these non-caducous Phytophthora species in the eucalypt tree canopy remains unknown. This issue, and the possible geographic origins of these two Phytophthora species are discussed.     

Fusarium kyushuense sp. nov. from Japan

Four trichothecene-producing strains originally isolated from diseased wheat and a vinyl plate in Kyushu and Shikoku, Japan are described and illustrated as a new species,Fusarium kyushuense. This species does not produce chalamydospores, which is the key morphological character which distinguishes it fromF. sporotrichioides with which it has been mistaken.Fusarium kyushuense is also differentiated from another morphologically similar species,F. arthrosporioides, by absence of sclerotia and by differences in conidiogenesis of obovate, conidia. InF. arthrosporioides conidia are partly holoblastic from the aerial conidiophores and mostly phialidic from the sporodochial conidiophores, while inF. kyushuense conidia are mostly holoblastic and only produced from aerial conidiophores.     

Dactylella chichisimensis, sp. nov. in the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands, Japan

ADactylella isolate obtained from soil in the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands, Japan is described and illustrated as a new species,D. chichisimensis. The fungus is characterized by single terminal multiseptate clavate or ellipsoidal conidia at the apex of simple conidiophores and mycelium that forms chlamydospores and sclerotia. A key is provided for sixDactylella species that produce primary clavate or ellipsoidal conidia at the apex of simple conidiophores.     

Diaporthe kyushuensis sp. nov., the teleomorph of the causal fungus of grapevine swelling arm in Japan, and its anamorphPhomopsis vitimegaspora

Diaporthe kyushuensis sp. nov. is described and named as the teleomorph of causal fungus of grapevine swelling arm. The anamorph of the fungus isPhomopsis vitimegaspora.