The distribution of Epichloe typhina in natural plant populations of the host plant Calamagrostis purpurea

The distribution of the systemic fungus Epichloe typhina was studied in natural populations of the host grass Calamagrostis purpurea. By searching for stroma in field and dissecting and staining plant parts in the lab I found that E. typhina was only present in nutrient rich and more wet habitats and totally absent from nutrient poor areas. A greenhouse experiment showed that under high nutrient conditions infected plants produced significantly more shoots than did healthy plants, while no difference was found when plants were grown in low nutrient conditions. Thus, the results suggest that the occurrence as well as the effect of E. typhina is strongly affected by environmental factors similar to the case of other systemic diseases, such as rusts and smuts.     

Growth and hare, Lepus timidus, resistance of white birch, Betula pendula, clones grown in different soil types

Many plant species have the ability to expand laterally through space by clonal growth. Plant pathogens can affect clonal growth characteristics thereby altering the success of host plants within populations and of clonal species within communities. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to determine the effects of the systemic fungal pathogen, Epichloë glyceriae , on clonal growth patterns of its host grass, Glyceria striata . We found that infected and uninfected plants produced similar total biomass and numbers of tillers plus primary stolons per mother ramet. However, biomass allocation to tillering (vegetative growth) vs stolon production (clonal growth) was significantly affected by pathogen infection. Infected plants produced more stolons and clonal growth biomass than uninfected plants while mother ramets of uninfected plants produced more tillers and biomass than infected plants. Stolon architecture of infected and uninfected plants also differed. In two of three populations, infected plants produced stolons with greater biomass and shorter spacer lengths, even though mean stolon lengths were similar for infected and uninfected plants. These results contrast strongly with most other clonal plant-pathogen systems where infected plants are less vigorous and have reduced clonal growth compared to uninfected plants. Greater clonal growth may be an effective mechanism for host genotypes to persist and spread when seed production is prevented, as is the case with castrating pathogens like Epichloë glyceriae .     

Plant senescence

Senescence is defined by evolutionary biologists as the decline in age-specific survival and fecundity that reflects declines in the performance of many different physiological functions in individuals of sufficiently advanced age. Senescence is widely recognized to occur among plants with a single reproductive event, but the extent to which senescence occurs among plants with multiple reproductive events is open to debate. The latter may show gradual or even negligible senescence. The pattern of senescence cannot readily be ascribed to either morphology or phylogeny. While it has been widely argued that clonal growth allows plants to escape senescence, this is not necessarily the case.     

克隆生长对被子植物传粉过程的影响

克隆植物与其传粉者的相互作用是植物繁殖生态学的重要研究领域之一。植物克隆生长与有性繁殖通常相伴进行, 往往产生较大的花展示与复杂的克隆空间结构, 通过传粉过程对有性繁殖过程产生影响, 共同决定植物的适合度。本文回顾了克隆生长对被子植物传粉过程影响的国内外研究进展, 从植物克隆大小、花资源空间配置、克隆构型与种群遗传结构四个方面讨论了克隆生长对传粉过程的影响及其生态学与进化生物学意义。早期研究预期, 随着克隆增大, 同株异花授粉水平增加, 因而通过增大自交率或花粉阻塞效应降低植物的适合度。但是, 后来的一些模拟与野外实验研究发现, 传粉者在同一克隆内访问的花数量并不会随克隆增大而一直增加, 访花行为也主要发生在分株内; 而且分子标记的自交率组分分析也表明自交主要发生在分株内。另一方面, 人工模型模拟以及传粉者访问行为研究表明, 当花朵数量相同时, 与所有花集中生长在同一分株上相比, 将花朵分散在多个分株上的克隆生长方式不会增加, 反而降低了同株异花授粉的发生水平。如果花序内花雌雄同熟, 花朵同时提供与接收花粉, 克隆生长会使植物接收到更高比例的异交花粉, 在提高后代质量的同时不增加同株异花授粉概率。这是从传粉生物学角度对植物克隆生长习性进化的一个全新的解释。今后, 克隆植物传粉生物学研究需要针对传粉者与克隆生长之间的相互作用建立理论模型, 探究克隆大小、克隆构型、花资源空间配置模式对传粉者访问频率和行为、花粉散布、交配格局的影响。同时, 需要在自然种群中, 尤其是克隆与非克隆的近缘类群、同一物种克隆与非克隆种群开展比较研究, 利用更高效的分子标记来研究克隆生长的生态与进化意义。     

Adaptive introductions: How multiple experiments and comparisons to wild populations provide insights into requirements for long-term introduction success of an endangered shrub

Recovery of an imperiled plant species may require augmentation of existing populations or creation of new ones. Hundreds of such projects have been conducted over the last few decades, but there is a bias in the literature favoring successes over failures. In this paper, we evaluate a series of introductions that experimentally manipulated microhabitat and fire in an adaptive introduction framework. Between 2002 and 2012, we (and our collaborators) carried out ten introductions and augmentations of Florida ziziphus Pseudoziziphus (Condalia, Ziziphus) celata, a clonal shrub limited to very small populations and narrowly endemic to pyrogenic central Florida sandhills. Six of the introductions were designed as experiments to test hypotheses about how demographic performance was affected by microhabitat, fire, and propagule type. Introduced transplants had high survival (<90% annually), inconsistent growth, and little transition to reproduction, while introduced seeds had low germination and survival. Transplants were more efficient than seeds as translocation propagules. Shaded (vs. open) sites supported generally higher transplant and seedling survival and seed germination percentages, but growth responses varied among experiments. Supplemental irrigation increased transplant survival and seed germination, but otherwise seedling and plant survival and growth were not significantly affected. Contrary to expectations based on wild populations, introduced propagules have not been more successful in unshaded sites, suggesting that Florida ziziphus has broader microhabitat preferences than hypothesized. Compared to wild plants, introduced plants had similar survival and responses to fire, slower growth, and more delayed flowering. Introduced plants had no clonal spread. While no introduced population has demonstrated a capacity for long-term viability, one augmented population has flowered and produced viable fruits. Given that Florida ziziphus genets are long-lived, low levels of sexual reproduction may be adequate for the establishment of viable populations. Thus, after many translocations over more than a decade, it is premature to characterize any single translocation as a success or a failure, underscoring the need for a long view of translocation success.     

Evolutionary increase in sexual and clonal reproductive capacity during biological invasion in an aquatic plant Butomus umbellatus (Butomaceae)

To test the hypothesis that increased allocation to reproduction is selected during biological invasion, we compared germination, survival, growth, and reproduction of native vs. introduced populations of the invasive aquatic plant Butomus umbellatus in a common greenhouse environment. Although seedling emergence and establishment did not differ consistently, survival thereafter was twice as high for eight introduced North American than eight native European populations. As predicted, introduced plants were more likely to produce sexual inflorescences and clonal asexual vegetative bulbils, and they invested much more biomass in both reproductive modes. Higher reproductive investment was due to higher proportional allocation of biomass rather than larger plant size. These results are consistent with selection for increased reproduction during range expansion. However, population genetic surveys indicate that recruitment from seed rarely occurs in introduced populations. Hence increased sexual allocation is not an adaptive response to invasion. Although increased clonal reproduction may be advantageous in expanding populations, genetic evidence from introduced populations of B. umbellatus suggests that increased clonal allocation may have arisen via stochastic processes during long-distance transport or a selective filter right at introduction, rather than incremental natural selection during range expansion.     

Clonal integration beyond resource sharing: implications for defence signalling and disease transmission in clonal plant networks

Resource sharing between ramets of clonal plants is a well-known phenomenon, which allows stoloniferous and rhizomatous species to internally translocate water, mineral nutrients and carbohydrates from sites of high supply to sites of high demand. The mechanisms and implications of resource integration in clonal plants have extensively been studied in the past. Vascular ramet connections are likely to provide an excellent means to share substances other than resources, such as systemic defence signals and pathogens. The aim of this paper is to propose the idea that physical ramet connections of clonal plants can be used (1) to transmit signals, which enable members of clonal plant networks to share information about their biotic and abiotic environments, and (2) to facilitate the internal distribution of systemic pathogens in clonal plant networks and populations. We will focus on possible mechanisms as well as on potential ecological and evolutionary implications of clonal integration beyond resource sharing. More specifically, we will explore the role of physiological integration in clonal plant networks for the systemic transmission of direct and indirect defence signals after localized herbivore attack. We propose that sharing defence induction signals among ramets may be the basis for an efficient early warning system, and it may allow for effective indirect defence signalling to herbivore enemies through a systemic release of volatiles from entire clonal fragments. In addition, we will examine the role of clonal integration for the internal spread of systemic pathogens and pathogen defence signals within clonal plants. Clonal plants may use developmental mechanisms such as increased flowering and clone fragmentation, but also specific biochemical defence strategies to fight pathogens. We propose that clonal plant networks can act as stores and vectors of diseases in plant populations and communities and that clonal life histories favour the evolution of pathogens with a low virulence.     

Infection by powdery mildew Erysiphe cruciferarum (Erysiphaceae) strongly affects growth and fitness of Alliaria petiolata (Brassicaceae)

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is an invasive biennial that negatively impacts plant and animal communities throughout North America and lacks significant herbivory in its invasive range. Throughout Ohio, many garlic mustard populations support the powdery mildew fungus Erysiphe cruciferarum, although disease incidence varies among populations and environments. Effects of infection on plant growth, as well as both plant and fungal responses to drought and light conditions, were examined on greenhouse-grown, first-year garlic mustard plants. Also, the effects of the fungus on plant growth and fitness were studied in a naturally growing population of second-year plants in the field. Powdery mildew significantly reduced growth of first-year plants in the greenhouse, eventually causing complete mortality. Simulated drought slowed both plant growth and disease development, independent of light conditions. In the field, plants with little incidence of disease after their first year grew taller during their second year, producing significantly more siliques and twice as many seeds as heavily diseased plants did. Seed germination rates did not differ between plants with different levels of disease severity. Consistent reductions in survival, growth, and fitness caused by fungal infection may reduce populations of garlic mustard. These effects may be more evident in moist sites that favor fungal development.     

银叶老鹳草(Geranium sylvaticum)种群中诱导保护抗性和病原菌相互作用的研究（英）

本文通过自然植物种群接种实验,人工接种实验和野外调查研究了（Geranium sylvaticum)对老鹳草单孢锈菌（Uromyces geranii)（长生活史）的抗病性在受柄锈菌（Puccinia)（短生活史）感病前后和受2种柄锈菌（P.leveillei或P.morthieri)感病后有无区别,以及在同一季节里感染同一寄主植物的长生活史单孢锈菌和短生活史柄锈菌间的相互作用,病原菌间的相互作用使寄主植物产生诱导保护抗性。结果表明,P.leveillei可诱导寄主植物产生短时间的保护抗性,而P.morthieri可能诱导寄主植物产生长时期的保护抗性,诱导保护抗性可能是影响自然植物种群中植病式样的重要因素之一。     

The loss of sex in clonal plants

Most plants combine sexual and clonal reproduction, and the balance between the two may vary widely between and within species. There are many anecdotal reports of plants that appear to have abandoned sex for clonal reproduction, yet few studies have quantified the degree of sexual variation in clonal plants and fewer still have determined the underlying ecological and/or genetic factors. Recent empirical work has shown that some clonal plants exhibit very wide variation in sexual reproduction that translates into striking variation in genotypic diversity and differentiation of natural populations. Reduced sexual reproduction may be particularly common at the geographical margins of species' ranges. Although seed production and sexual recruitment may often be limited by biotic and abiotic aspects of the environment in marginal populations, genetic factors, including changes in ploidy and sterility mutations, may also play a significant role in causing reduced sexual fertility. Moreover, environmental suppression of sexual recruitment may facilitate the evolution of genetic sterility because natural selection no longer strongly maintains the many traits involved in sex. In addition to the accumulation of neutral sterility mutations in highly clonal populations, the evolution of genetic infertility may be facilitated if sterility is associated with enhanced vegetative growth, clonal propagation or survival through either resource reallocation or pleiotropy. However, there are almost no experimental data with which to distinguish among these possibilities. Ultimately, wide variation in genotypic diversity and gene flow associated with the loss of sex may constrain local adaptation and the evolution of the geographical range limit in clonal plants.     

Digest: Plant‐pathogen coevolution extends to shifts in plant breeding systems*

Plants and their pathogens are in a coevolutionary arms race. Some pathogens, such as anther smuts, use their host plants’ pollinators for spore dispersal. In the plant Dianthus pavonius, gynodioecy (having female and hermaphroditic plants) has evolved to reduce flowering duration and therefore limit exposure to anther smut pathogens. Bruns et al. (2019) show that this shift in breeding system has evolved as a disease escape mechanism.     

Reduced tolerance to simulated herbivory on clonal organs in alien genotypes: a multi-species experiment with native and introduced origins

Clonal growth may increase the likelihood for alien plants becoming invasive, as it is an efficient foraging and spatial exploration strategy. Here, we investigated the effect of artificial herbivory on organs of clonal growth and its potential to drive post-introduction evolutionary change. Based on the assumption that tolerance traits are costly and that clonal alien species may benefit from investing freed resources into growth, fecundity or nutrient acquisition, we tested the hypothesis of lower tolerance to herbivory on organs of clonal growth in alien plants. In a common-garden experiment we studied divergence in plants from native German and alien New Zealand populations of six species with different clonal growth forms. A nutrient treatment testing the plant’s acquisition abilities, was combined with artificial herbivory on clonal organs. We investigated origin-dependent differences in sexual reproduction, plant growth and the production of clonal organs. For aboveground and clonal organ biomass, alien plants showed lower tolerance to artificial herbivory on clonal organs than native plants. In the combined herbivory and nutrient treatment, alien plants of four species grew fewer clonal organs when compared to the nutrient treatment alone. Alien plants of the other two species produced more clonal organs, regardless of treatment. All species revealed significant differences in flower production between origins, with five of them producing more flowers on alien than on native plants. The results support the hypothesis that a release of herbivory on clonal organs has lead to subtle evolutionary changes in tolerance of alien plants and to a species-dependent increase in plant vigour, clonal growth and/or sexual reproduction that may enhance their invasive success.     

Effects of sheep grazing and temporal variability on population dynamics of the clonal herb <Emphasis Type="Italic">Geranium sylvaticum</Emphasis> in an alpine habitat

An improved understanding of population-level consequences of grazing on plants can be facilitated by an assessment of grazing effects on all stages in the life-cycle. In this study, 6 years of demographic data for three populations of the perennial herb Geranium sylvaticum were analysed. We examined the effects of sheep grazing (high sheep density, low sheep density and no sheep) and interannual climatic variability on vital rates and population growth rates (λ). Grazing did not affect survival or flowering rates, but reduced rates of growth and increased rates of clonal reproduction. At the population level, high contributions from retrogression and clonal reproduction buffered reduced rates of growth and stasis, and no consistent differences in λ between populations exposed to different sheep densities were found. Instead, large between-year variability in λ, independent of sheep density, was detected, related to variation in the local summer climate. The results indicated, however, that grazing effects on λ were more severe in unfavourable than in normal years. Our study highlights that increased clonal reproduction rates functioned as a tolerance mechanism towards grazing in this herb, which forms a mechanism to explain how moderate population responses to grazing in some herbs can arise.     

Infection by the systemic fungus Epichloë glyceriae alters clonal growth of its grass host,Glyceria striata

Parasites and pathogens are hypothesized to change host growth, reproduction and/or behaviour to increase their own transmission. However, studies which clearly demonstrate that parasites or pathogens are directly responsible for changes in hosts are lacking. We previously found that infection by the systemic fungus Epichloë glyceriae was associated with greater clonal growth by its host, Glyceria striata. Whether greater clonal growth resulted directly from pathogen infection or indirectly from increased likelihood of infection for host genotypes with greater clonal growth could not be determined because only naturally infected and uninfected plants were used. In this study, we decoupled infection and host genotype to evaluate the role of pathogen infection on host development and clonal growth. We found that total biomass production did not differ for clones of the same genotype, but infected clones allocated more biomass to clonal growth. Disinfected clones had more tillers and a greater proportion of their biomass in the mother ramet. Infected clones produced fewer tillers but significantly more and longer stolons than disinfected clones. These results support the hypothesis that pathogen infection directly alters host development. Parasite alteration of clonal growth patterns might be advantageous to the persistence and spread of host plants in some ecological conditions.     

LOSS OF SEX IN CLONAL POPULATIONS OF A FLOWERING PLANT,DECODON VERTICILLATUS (LYTHRACEAE)

The loss of traits that no longer increase fitness is a pervasive feature of evolution, although detailed studies of the genetic, developmental, and evolutionary factors involved are few. Most perennial plants practice both sexual and clonal reproduction, and it has been hypothesized that populations with little sexual recruitment may lose the capacity for sexual reproduction by fixing mutations that disable one or more of the many processes involved in sex. The clonal, tristylous aquatic plant, Decodon verticillatus, exhibits marked geographical variation in sexual recruitment. Populations at the northern limit of the range are usually monomorphic for style length consist of single genotypes, and produce almost no seed, due, in part, to environmental conditions that inhibit pollination, fertilization, and seed maturation. Controlled crosses in a greenhouse provided evidence for greatly reduced sexual capacity in an exclusively clonal, monomorphic population. Plants from this infertile population produced only 3–18% as many seeds per pollination as fertile populations. Observations of pollen tube growth indicated that infertility is due to severe reductions in pollen tube numbers both early after pollination and later when pollen tubes were traversing the ovary, due primarily to the inability of pistils to support normal tube growth. A three-year greenhouse experiment comparing fertility, survival, and growth of F1 progenies produced from reciprocal crosses between plants from the infertile population and those from nearby fertile populations suggested that the genetic basis for infertility is simple and may involve a single recessive mutation. In addition, the results did not reveal any association between infertility and other aspects of survival and vegetative vigor. The infertile genotype was likely fixed in the population through founder effect rather than indirect selection resulting from antagonistic pleiotropy or direct selection of advantages associated with reduced investment in sexual reproduction. A broader comparison of sexual fertility in 15 clonal, monomorphic populations and five genotypically diverse, trimorphic populations under greenhouse conditions revealed substantial infertility in all but one monomorphic population. Populations varied somewhat in the stage at which infertility was expressed, however, pollen tube growth was impaired in all populations. These results provide strong support for the hypothesis that complex traits like sex are degraded by mutation when they no longer increase fitness.     

Initial genetic diversity enhances population establishment and alters genetic structuring of a newly established Daphnia metapopulation

When newly created habitats are initially colonized by genotypes with rapid population growth rates, later arriving colonists may be prevented from establishing. Although these priority effects have been documented in multiple systems, their duration may be influenced by the diversity of the founding population. We conducted a large‐scale field manipulation to investigate how initial clonal diversity influences temporal and landscape patterns of genetic structure in a developing metapopulation. Six genotypes of obligately asexual Daphnia pulex were stocked alone (no clonal diversity) or in combination (‘high’ clonal diversity) into newly created experimental woodland ponds. We also measured the population growth rate of all clones in the laboratory when raised on higher‐quality and lower‐quality resources. Our predictions were that in the 3 years following stocking, clonally diverse populations would be more likely to persist than nonclonally diverse populations and exhibit evidence for persistent founder effects. We expected that faster growing clones would be found in more pools and comprise a greater proportion of individuals genotyped from the landscape. Genetic composition, both locally and regionally, changed significantly following stocking. Six of 27 populations exhibited evidence for persistent founder effects, and populations stocked with ‘high’ clonal diversity were more likely to exhibit these effects than nonclonally diverse populations. Performance in the laboratory was not predictive of clonal persistence or overall dominance in the field. Hence, we conclude that although laboratory estimates of fitness did not fully explain metapopulation genetic structure, initial clonal diversity did enhance D. pulex population establishment and persistence in this system.     

Shade-induced changes in the branching pattern of a stoloniferous herb: functional response or allometric effect?

Shade-induced changes in the branching pattern of clonal plants can lead to conspicuous modifications of their growth form and architecture. It has been hypothesized that reduced branching in shade may be an adaptive trait, enabling clonal plants to escape from unfavourable patches in a heterogeneous environment by allocating resources preferentially to the growth of the main axis (i.e. linear expansion), rather than to local proliferation by branching. However, such an adaptionist interpretation may be unjustified if (1) branching frequency is a function of the ontogenetic stage of plants, and if (2) shading slows down the ontogenetic development of plants, thereby delaying branch formation. In this case, architectural differences between sun- and shade-grown individuals, harvested at the same chronological age, may not represent a functional response to changes in light conditions, but may be a by-product of effects of shade on the rate of plant development. To distinguish between these two alternatives, individuals of the stoloniferous herb Potentilla reptans were subjected to three experimental light conditions: a control treatment providing full daylight, and two shade treatments: neutral shade (13% of ambient PPFD; no changes in light spectral composition) and simulated canopy shade (13% PPFD and a reduced red:far-red ratio). Plant development was followed throughout the experiment by daily monitoring primary stolon growth as well as branch and leaf initiation. Biomass and clonal offspring production were measured when plants were harvested. At the end of the experiment shaded plants had produced significantly fewer branches than clones grown in full daylight. In all three treatments, however, initiation of secondary stolons occurred at the same developmental stage of individual ramets. Shading significantly slowed down the ontogenetic development of plants and this resulted in the observed differences in branching patterns between sun- and shade-grown individuals, when compared at the same chronological age. These results hence provide evidence that shade-induced changes in the branching pattern of clonal plants can be due to purely allometric effects. Implications for interpreting architectural changes in terms of functional shade-avoidance responses are discussed. Received: 16 August 1996 / Accepted: December 1996     

Resprouting Response of Aquatic Clonal Plants to Cutting May Explain Their Resistance to Spate Flooding

Resprouting ability may increase a plant??s resistance to recurrent disturbances in aquatic ecosystems. We investigated the effect of mechanical disturbances on survival and regrowth patterns in three clonal aquatic species of similar growth form but with different ecological ranges in terms of flooding (Myriophyllum verticillatum, Myriophyllum spicatum and Potamogeton coloratus). P. coloratus prefers to colonize stable habitats, whereas M. verticillatum occurs in intermediately flooded habitats and M. spicatum is tolerant to a high flooding frequency. Two cutting treatments (single cuts or repeated cuts) were applied under controlled conditions. We hypothesized that M. verticillatum and M. spicatum would be resistant to cutting displaying either a tolerant or an escape strategy whereas P. coloratus would be sensitive to cutting. Our hypothesis was validated, as the three species displayed contrasting responses to disturbance. M. verticillatum displayed efficient clonal propagation following breakage (escape strategy), but its growth rate decreased after recurrent disturbances. P. coloratus displayed a close response but was unable to compensate biomass loss even after one cut. M. spicatum maintained a similar growth rate by developing a densely branched form despite recurrent disturbances but with a low investment in clonal growth (tolerance strategy). Both biomass compensation and clonal propagation influence plant fitness, but their relative advantage differs depending on the flooding frequency experienced by plants in their natural habitats. Clonal propagation may promote recolonization after disturbances in infrequently flooded sites, but seems less efficient than a tolerance strategy for survival in frequently flooded sites.     

荒漠土壤因子和DSE定殖对克隆植物入侵的响应

克隆植物,尤其是游击型克隆植物,具有很强的扩展能力,通过克隆扩展可侵入到不同生境斑块。克隆植物入侵可能会影响入侵地土壤营养状况和微生物群落。为了探明克隆植物入侵对DSE(dark septate endophytes)活动和土壤理化性质的影响,于2013年6月在克隆植物羊柴(Hedysarum laeve)和沙鞭(Psammochloa villosa)群落空地沿根状茎延伸方向设置样方,分别于6月、8月和10月在样方内分0—10、10—20、20—30、30—40、40—50 cm土层采集土样和根样,研究了不同采样时间羊柴和沙鞭群落空地DSE和土壤理化性质时空变化。结果表明,从6月到10月,随时间后延,克隆植物逐渐侵入群落空地,沙鞭入侵群落空地数和分株数高于羊柴。羊柴群落空地根系DSE定殖率随采样时间后延,逐渐降低,最大值在6月;沙鞭群落空地根系DSE定殖率随采样时间后延,逐渐升高,最大值在10月。随着克隆植物入侵,入侵地土壤中可利用的营养物质含量显著提高,羊柴入侵提高了入侵群落空地土壤碱解N、有效P和速效K含量,沙鞭入侵提高了入侵群落空地土壤碱解N和有效P含量。相关性分析表明,羊柴群落空地DSE定殖率与土壤p H值和电导率显著正相关,沙鞭群落空地DSE定殖率与土壤p H值极显著负相关,与电导率、碱解N和有效P极显著正相关。克隆植物入侵使得土壤环境更有利于克隆植物自身生长,为荒漠植被恢复提供了前提。     

Larger fungi around Kindrogan,Perthshire

Summary

540 agarics and 156 other basidiomycetes, (excluding rusts and smuts), are recorded for an area within a 40 km radius of the Kindrogan Field Centre, Perthshire. Several are new records and do not appear in checklists for the British Isles; notes are provided on new, interesting and rare species.