Abstract:
Botryosphaeria dothidea is the type species of Botryosphaeria (Botryosphaeriaceae,
Botryosphaeriales). Fungi residing in this order are amongst the most widespread and
important canker and dieback pathogens of trees worldwide, with B. dothidea one of
the most common species on a large number of hosts. Its taxonomic circumscription
has undergone substantial change in the past decade, making it difficult to interpret
the large volume of literature linked to the name B. dothidea. This pathogen profile
synthesises the current understanding of B. dothidea pertaining to its distribution, host
associations and its role as a pathogen in managed and natural woody environments.
The prolonged latent infection or endophytic phase is of particular importance as it
implies that the fungus can easily pass undetected by quarantine systems in traded
living plants, fruits and other plant parts. Infections typically become obvious only
under conditions of host stress, when disease symptoms develop. This study also
considers the knowledge emerging from the recently sequenced B. dothidea genome
elucidating previously unknown aspects of the species, including mating and hostinfection
strategies. Despite more than 150 years of research on B. dothidea, there is
clearly much to be learned regarding this global tree pathogen. This is increasingly
important given the stresses imposed on various woody hosts due to climate change.
