On nematode-destroying fungi in Finland. II

Nematode-Trapping Fungi Eavesdrop on Nematode Pheromones

The recognition of molecular patterns associated with specific pathogens or food sources is fundamental to ecology and plays a major role in the evolution of predator-prey relationships. Recent studies showed that nematodes produce an evolutionarily highly conserved family of small molecules, the ascarosides, which serve essential functions in regulating nematode development and behavior. Here,...

A new nematode-destroying Harposporium with slender helieoid conidia

Among the hyphomycetous endoparasites destructive to eelworms that abound in slowly decaying plant materials, as well as in agar plate cultures earlier inoculated with partly decomposed vegetable detritus, Harposporium anguillulae Lohde emend. Zopf (1888) is observed much more frequently than allied forms. In seeking an explanation for this more frequent occurrence it would seem highly signific...

Evolution of parasitism in nematode-trapping fungi.

We are studying the evolution of parasitism in a group of soil-living ascomycetes that can grow as saprophytes as well as parasites by forming special morphological structures called traps. Analyses of 18S ribosomal DNA sequences have shown that these fungi form a monophyletic and isolated clade among the ascomycetes. The phylogenetic patterns within this clade are concordant with the morpholog...

Toxicity of dyes and related compounds to wood-destroying fungi.

In 1891 Ehrlich demonstrated the antimalarial activity of methylene blue and a few years later discovered that trypan red would kill trypanosomes. These disclosures helped lay the foundations of chemotherapy. Since that time many workers have studied the effects of dyes on microorganisms, among them Stearn and Stearn (1924). Dion and Lord (1944) and Aiquel and Herraro (1948) have shown that bas...

Destroying Civilization, Destroying Nature