Microbial ecology of fungal viruses and hypovirulence

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Fungal viruses are increasingly being recognized as an important and diverse group of infectious agents that affect the virulence, prevalence, and survival of their fungal hosts. Many fungi cause economically-important plant diseases in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, and fungal viruses in these hosts represent an opportunity for improved development of molecular and biological strategies of disease management.  Research proposed within this proposal will examine the role of fungal viruses in the physiology and ecology of an important group of plant pathogens, Sclerotinia species. Physiological studies will identify fungal viruses that reduce the ability of plant pathogens to cause disease (e.g. hypovirulence), determine how these viruses interfere with the normal growth and development of their fungal hosts, and investigate why some infected fungi display symptoms of infection and others do not.  Ecological studies will determine the prevalence and distribution of fungal viruses in naturally-occurring populations of these plant pathogens, investigate the potential for spread of these viruses to other fungal species, and examine how these viruses spread and influence their fungal hosts in nature. Collectively, this research will contribute to the assessment of fungal viruses for molecular or biological strategies of plant disease management.