Monographic Studies in the Nectriaceae, Hypocreales: Nectria, Cosmospora, and Neonectria

Nectriaceae(Hypocreales，Ascomycota)包括一些在自然生态系统中最显著和普遍存在的微真菌。这些真菌在土壤、腐烂的植物材料、昆虫和其他真菌中很常见。虽然大多数物种是腐生菌，但其他物种对生活在活树叶和树干上的植物和昆虫或内生菌是致病的。这项研究将确定三个主要属的分类：Nectria，Cosmospora和Neonectria。这些属意义重大，因为它们包括几个广泛存在的植物病原体和潜在的生物防治因子。尽管这些属在自然和农业生态系统中普遍存在且种类繁多，但没有一个得到现代专题处理。该项目还将增加少数群体对生物科学的参与，并推进霍华德大学的研究生研究。此外，该项目将增加现有的真菌种质作为公共机构保存的培养物；通过数字数据库增加现有的生物多样性数据；为那些利用这些真菌作为热带森林干扰指标并努力控制这些真菌引起的疾病的人制作网上识别检索表；将可靠识别的真菌的DNA诊断序列存入GenBank；为植物病理学家感兴趣的物种的种群生物学研究提供基础。

The Nectriaceae (Hypocreales, Ascomycota) includes some of the most conspicuous and ubiquitous microfungi in natural ecosystems. These fungi are common in soils, decaying plant material, insects, and other fungi. While most species are saprobes, others are pathogenic on plants and insects or endophytes living in the leaves and trunks of living trees. This study will define the taxonomy of three major genera: Nectria, Cosmospora, and Neonectria. These genera are significant because they include several species that are widespread plant pathogens and potential biological control agents. Even though these genera are ubiquitous and diverse in natural and agricultural ecosystems, none of them have received modern monographic treatment. This project will also increase the participation of minorities in biological sciences and advance graduate research at Howard University. In addition, this project will increase the available germplasm of fungi as cultures deposited in public institutions; increase biodiversity data available through digital databases; produce web-based identification keys for those using these fungi as indicators of tropical forest disturbance and working to control the diseases caused by these fungi; deposit into GenBank diagnostic DNA sequences of reliably identified fungi; and provide the basis for studies on the population biology of species of interest to plant pathologists.