D. Croll

A systemic approach allows to identify the pedoclimatic conditions most critical in the susceptibility of a grapevine cultivar to esca/Botryosphaeria dieback

This study identifies pedoclimatic factors influencing esca-BD susceptibility in a grapevine cultivar through long-term field experiments and statistical analysis.

Giant transposons promote strain heterogeneity in a major fungal pathogen

This study identifies giant transposons called Starships in Aspergillus fumigatus that generate genomic and phenotypic heterogeneity across strains.

Hybridization load introduced by Alpine ibex hybrid swarms

The paper estimates hybridization load in Alpine ibex due to hybridization with domestic goats, finding increased loss-of-function mutations in hybrids compared to non-hybrids.

Landscape-scale endophytic community analyses in replicated grapevine stands reveal that dieback disease is not caused by specific fungal communities

The paper tests if specific fungal communities cause grapevine dieback disease using landscape-scale sampling and finds no such causal link.

An old inversion polymorphism involving giant mobile elements in an invasive fungal pathogen

The paper identifies a non-recombining genomic region in the invasive fungus Cryphonectria parasitica linked to the mating-type locus, showing balanced haplotype segregation and potential adaptation through mobile elements.

A systematic screen for co-option of transposable elements across the fungal kingdom

The paper systematically screens fungal genomes to identify co-opted transposable element-derived domains, finding widespread TE contributions to protein function across the fungal kingdom.

Copy number variation introduced by a massive mobile element underpins global thermal adaptation in a fungal wheat pathogen

The paper identifies copy number variation (CNV) driven by a mobile element as a key factor in thermal adaptation and metabolic changes in the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici.

High-resolution profiling of bacterial and fungal communities using pangenome-informed taxon-specific long-read amplicons

The paper develops a pipeline for high-resolution microbiome profiling using pangenome-informed long-read amplicons, achieving higher phylogenetic resolution than traditional methods.

Divergent outcomes of direct conspecific pathogen strain interaction and plant co-infection suggest consequences for disease dynamics

The paper investigates how different strains of the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici interact during co-infections, finding that strain competition outcomes vary significantly between in vitro and on host conditions.

A secreted protease-like protein in Zymoseptoria tritici is responsible for avirulence on Stb9 resistance gene in wheat

The paper identifies AvrStb9, a secreted protease-like protein in Zymoseptoria tritici, as an avirulence factor that interacts with the wheat Stb9 resistance gene to trigger immune responses.

Global diversification of the common moonwort ferns (Botrychium lunaria group, Ophioglossaceae) was mainly driven by Pleistocene climatic shifts

This study identifies 11 species in the Botrychium lunaria group, showing diversification driven by Pleistocene climate shifts and ecological adaptation.

Quantifying trade-offs in the choice of ribosomal barcoding markers for fungal amplicon sequencing: a case study on the grapevine trunk mycobiome

This study compares two ribosomal markers for fungal amplicon sequencing in grapevine trunks, finding that shorter amplicons provide higher yields and clearer community resolution despite lower polymorphism.

A pandemic clonal lineage of the wheat blast fungus

The paper identifies a pandemic clonal lineage of the wheat blast fungus that originated in South America and spread to Asia and Africa, showing it can be controlled by Rmg8 but may develop fungicide resistance and recombine with African lineages.

Genome-wide association mapping reveals genes underlying population-level metabolome diversity in a fungal crop pathogen

The paper maps genetic loci associated with metabolome diversity in Zymoseptoria tritici using metabolite-GWAS, identifying SNPs in coding and regulatory regions linked to metabolite production.

The population genetics of adaptation through copy-number variation in a fungal plant pathogen

This study identifies copy-number variations (CNVs) in Rhynchosporium commune, a fungal plant pathogen, and links them to adaptation to host, fungicide, and temperature challenges.

Variability in an effector gene promoter of a necrotrophic fungal pathogen dictates epistasis and effector-triggered susceptibility in wheat

This study identifies a promoter element in the Tox1 gene of Parastagonospora nodorum that regulates effector expression and susceptibility in wheat, revealing its role in pathogen virulence and host resistance.

Soil composition and plant genotype determine benzoxazinoid-mediated plant-soil feedbacks in cereals

The paper shows that benzoxazinoid-mediated plant-soil feedbacks in cereals depend on soil type and genotype, with cultivar-specific effects on growth and insect resistance.

Mapping the adaptive landscape of a major agricultural pathogen reveals evolutionary constraints across heterogeneous environments

The paper maps the adaptive landscape of Zymoseptoria tritici, showing polygenic traits, pleiotropy, and genetic constraints affecting pathogen adaptation across environments.

The complex genomic basis of rapid convergent adaptation to pesticides across continents in a fungal plant pathogen

This study identifies genomic factors underlying pesticide resistance in Zymoseptoria tritici across continents, finding both convergent and population-specific genetic changes.

Comparative genomics analyses of lifestyle transitions at the origin of an invasive fungal pathogen in the genus Cryphonectria

This study compares genomes of Cryphonectria species to understand the genetic basis of pathogenicity evolution, finding gene loss in carbohydrate metabolism and retention of wood colonization abilities in C. parasitica.

Maintenance of variation in virulence and reproduction in populations of an agricultural plant pathogen

The paper investigates the maintenance of genetic variation in virulence and reproduction in Zymoseptoria tritici by analyzing host-pathogen interactions across multiple populations.

Natural selection drives population divergence for local adaptation in a wheat pathogen

The paper uses QST-FST comparison and common garden experiments to show that natural selection drives local adaptation in wheat pathogen populations across different environmental conditions.

Emergence and diversification of a highly invasive chestnut pathogen lineage across south-eastern Europe

The paper sequences 188 genomes of the chestnut blight fungus to show how an invasive lineage emerged from a diverse European population and expanded clonally in south-eastern Europe.

Purging of highly deleterious mutations through severe bottlenecks in Alpine ibex

The paper shows that severe population bottlenecks in Alpine ibex led to purging of highly deleterious mutations but accumulation of mildly deleterious ones, highlighting the need to prevent population declines below ~1000 individuals.

A secreted LysM effector protects fungal hyphae through chitin-dependent homodimer polymerization

The paper identifies Mg1LysM's role in forming chitin-dependent and independent homodimers, which protect fungal cell walls from host chitinase hydrolysis.

The monothiol glutaredoxin Grx4 interacts with the Cryptococcus iron regulator Cir1 and regulates iron homeostasis and virulence in the Cryptococcus neoformans

This study identifies Grx4 as a binding partner of Cir1 in Cryptococcus neoformans, showing that Grx4 regulates iron homeostasis and virulence through its interaction with Cir1.

The MoT3 assay does not distinguish between Magnaporthe oryzae wheat and rice blast isolates from Bangladesh

The paper evaluates the MoT3 assay's ability to distinguish wheat and rice blast isolates of Magnaporthe oryzae from Bangladesh and finds it fails to do so.

A fungal avirulence factor encoded in a highly plastic genomic region triggers partial resistance to septoria tritici blotch

The paper identifies Avr3D1, a fungal avirulence factor in Zymoseptoria tritici, which triggers partial resistance in wheat cultivars with Stb7, and shows its evolutionary dynamics and polymorphism.

Meiosis leads to pervasive segregation distortion and copy-number variation in accessory chromosomes of the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici

The paper analyzes chromosomal inheritance in Zymoseptoria tritici, finding segregation distortion and copy-number variation in accessory chromosomes.