Abstract

MARIN MONTOYA, Mauricio  and  WINGFIELD, Michael J.. A REVIEW OF Ceratocystis sensu stricto WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE SPECIES COMPLEXES C. coerulescens AND C. fimbriata. Rev. Fac. Nac. Agron. Medellín [online]. 2006, vol.59, n.1, pp.3045-3375. ISSN 0304-2847.

The genus Ceratocystis sensu stricto Ellis & Halst. includes many economically important plant pathogens of both angiosperms and gymnosperms, worldwide. Diseases caused by these fungi include vascular wilts, sap stains on logs and lumber, stem cankers and rots of roots, stems and fruits. Most Ceratocystis species are well adapted to dispersal by insects. Many species produce volatile metabolites with fruity odors that attract a wide range of insects to infected tissues. However, the degree of this association between insects and Ceratocystis species is highly variable, ranging from a mutualistic relationship such as that between C. polonica, C. laricicola and C. rufipennis and their specific bark beetle vectors, to nonspecific associations, as are found in the case of C. paradoxa, C. fagacearum and C. fimbriata, with nitidulid beetles, flies and ambrosia beetles. The high degree of morphological similarity found amongst these fungi probably results from convergent evolution driven by selection for insect dispersal, and has made it difficult to clearly define the boundaries between species of Ceratocystis. During the course of the last decade, the use of phylogenetic studies based on comparisons of DNA sequence data has contributed substantially to clarify the taxonomy of this group of fungi. These studies have led to the conclusion that some Ceratocystis species thought to be single entities in the past actually represent complexes of cryptic species. This review is primarily intended to provide an introduction to experimental studies presented on species of Ceratocystis sensu stricto. However, in order to provide a firm background to this fungal genus, a brief outline is presented on related fungi that can broadly be referred to as the ophiostomatoid fungi.

Keywords : Ophiostomatoid fungi; phylogenetic analysis; cryptic species; forest pathology.

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