STUDIES OF THE FUNGAL COMMUNITIES OF THE PHYLLOSPHERE OF PINUS TAEDA L. (PINACEAE) I. SEASONAL VARIATION.

Abstract

Studies of the fungal communities of the phyllosphere of Pinus taeda L (Pinaceae) I. Seasonal Variation. Fungal communities of leaves are dynamic in time and space. The patterns of spatial and temporal change in their composition reflect successive balances among the population processes of inmigration, emigration, growth and death for individual species. The phyllosphere mycoflora of Pinus taeda L. has been studied from the newly expanded needles to the senescent stage in the spring, summer, fall and winter seasons using serial washing and cultural method. Forty nine fungal taxa were isolated; Pestalotiopsis oxyanthi, Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium cladosporioides, C. oxysporum, C. sphaerospermum, Nigrospora oryzae, Epicoccum purpurascens, Hormonema dematioides and the yeasts were the most important fungi in the P. taeda phyllosphere. The structure of fungal community was analysed using Principal Component Analysis and Discriminant Analysis. The community of young and senescent needles was mainly influenced by climatic conditions. H. dematioides and the yeasts characterized the fungal communities of the young needles in spring and summer and P. oxyanthi in autumn and winter. The yeasts and MDE1 were predominant in the senescent needles in summer and P. oxyanthi was in winter.