Coniophora puteana

[alliaria]

Hi all,

I was wondering what experience people have on the effect of C.puteana on Sequoiadendron giganteum and Cedrus sp..

I am aware thst it is recognised as a brown rot, with an alternative soft rot mode and also it can degrade lignin, white rot?

I have seen it on a mature redwood that is showing serious canopy dieback, is this a secondary pathogen?

I assume it is a biotroph with saprobic capability?

What is the long term prognosis for the Sequoia?

[daltontrees]

I remember C. putanea from my surveying days as the commonest species of wet rot. It will not occur in dry wood, typically below 16% moisture content. I suppose most of the evidence about it's mode of operation is in buildings on dead wood. I have no idea whether it is also active on living wood.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Hi all,

I was wondering what experience people have on the effect of C.puteana on Sequoiadendron giganteum and Cedrus sp..

I am aware thst it is recognised as a brown rot, with an alternative soft rot mode and also it can degrade lignin, white rot?

I have seen it on a mature redwood that is showing serious canopy dieback, is this a secondary pathogen?

I assume it is a biotroph with saprobic capability?

What is the long term prognosis for the Sequoia?

 

I doubt it is biotrophic at all, and entirely saprobic and as Jules eludes to it prefers very damp and also dark places. In my experience it is also late on the scene of the successional cycle of decays.

 

be unusual on a conifer too in my experience:thumbup1:

 

[alliaria]

Hi Tony,

I think it is probably saprobic and a secondary pathogen, but I am encountering it quite frequently on conifers. However there seems to be some scientific evidence that coniophora is biotrophic, Harju & Venalainen, 2002 and Esser et al,2002.

Interesting.

Cheers

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Hi Tony,

I think it is probably saprobic and a secondary pathogen, but I am encountering it quite frequently on conifers. However there seems to be some scientific evidence that coniophora is biotrophic, Harju & Venalainen, 2002 and Esser et al,2002.

Interesting.

Cheers

 

I shall look that reference up, be interesting if it is because ive not come across it being even remotely biotrophic:001_huh:

[daltontrees]

I don't have access to those papers, hopefully someone can post a summary?

 

It would be an odd strategy for a fungus to be biotrophic and to cause brittle failure (and presumably death) of the host.

[alliaria]

Looking again I think you are probably right, it can apparently cause a soft and a white rot, depending on moisture content I suppose.

Sorry for any confusion.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I don't have access to those papers, hopefully someone can post a summary?

 

It would be an odd strategy for a fungus to be biotrophic and to cause brittle failure (and presumably death) of the host.

 

No it wouldnt be that unusual, the problem here is its being described as a "Biotroph" as opposed to Necrotroph.

 

A complicated business narrowing down the life cycle or strategy of a fungi, the science would have to be solid.

 

Biotrophs fully dependant on living tissues

Necrotrophs kills tissues then consumes and can act saprotrophicaly

Saprotrophs deadwood feeding only.

 

and believe me there is a lot of grey areas in this side of mycology

[daltontrees]

No it wouldnt be that unusual, the problem here is its being described as a "Biotroph" as opposed to Necrotroph.

 

A complicated business narrowing down the life cycle or strategy of a fungi, the science would have to be solid.

 

Biotrophs fully dependant on living tissues

Necrotrophs kills tissues then consumes and can act saprotrophicaly

Saprotrophs deadwood feeding only.

 

and believe me there is a lot of grey areas in this side of mycology

 

Well, if biotroph is literally dependednt on living tissue, then I can't see C.putanea being one, because it's quite happy munching away at long-dead floor joists.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Well, if biotroph is literally dependednt on living tissue, then I can't see C.putanea being one, because it's quite happy munching away at long-dead floor joists.

 

indeed, which is why i VERY much doubt its classification as biotroph.