ECOLOGY AND HOST-FUNGUS RELATIONSHIPS

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Genus Biscogniauxia
Key to Taxa of Biscogniauxia
Accepted Taxa
List of Names
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Jack
Yu-Ming Ju
Michael J. Adams

Biscogniauxia taxa are exclusively parasites of dicotyledonous angiosperms. The most recent host-fungus index for the USA lists 5 taxa on various hosts (Farr et al., 1989). Some other taxa--not all of which are considered herein to be Biscogniauxia--are listed under Nummularia; hosts are dicots. Collection data suggest host preferences, if not host specificity, among Biscogniauxia taxa. In Great Britain (and probably throughout Europe) B. nummularia (Bull.: Fr.) Kuntze is usually encountered on Fagus spp. (Cannon et al., 1985). Biscogniauxia marginata (Fr.: Fr.) Pouzar [classically known as Nummularia discreta (Schwein.) Tul. & C. Tul.] is often, but not exclusively, encountered on trees of family Rosaceae. It causes a classic canker disease called nail-head, a reference to the more or less flat-topped stromata; this is also often called blister disease (Hepting, 1971). Biscogniauxia atropunctata (Schwein.: Fr.) Pouzar [as Hypoxylon] is said to cause a bark disease of Carya, Fagus, and Quercus species in northern Georgia; it is suspected that lack of vigor predisposes trees to invasion by the fungus (Hepting, 1971). Bassett et al. (1982) implicated the same fungus as causing cankers on oaks in Arkansas. Bassett and Fenn (1984) showed experimentally that girdling of healthy-appearing Quercus spp. trees resulted in the production of B. atropunctata stromata on 70% of white oaks (subgenus Leucobalanus) and 77% of black (red) oaks (subgenus Erythrobalanus) within 5 months. They concluded that fruiting occurred following girdling by stimulating the activity of mycelium from latent infections. Tainter and Gubler (1973) believed that lowered levels of survival of the oak wilt fungus [Ceratocystis fagacearum (Bretz) Hunt] in oaks resulted from the rapid decay of sapwood by B. atropunctata. Biscogniauxia mediterranea (De Not.) Kuntze has been implicated in the death and destruction of Quercus robur in Portugal and North Africa (Barbosa, 1958; Malençon and Marion, 1951). Roger (1953) mentions two taxa [as Nummularia] on Hevea, considering them to be "semi-parasites."

We suspect that all Biscogniauxia species are at least weak pathogens, invading hosts that are weakened by drought, etc. and fruiting when the host is highly weakened or dead. These fungi could be classified as facultative saprophytes, i.e., spending most of their cycles as parasites, but capable of persisting for periods on dead material. Experience in Hawaii (JDR) and elsewhere indicates that dying or dead branches on many trees have evident stromata of a Biscogniauxia species and often a Eutypella species. Once branches fall to the ground, however, they are invaded by basidiomycetes-often a number of species (R. W. Gilbertson, personal communication)-, but additional xylariaceous inhabitants seem infrequent. We take this to mean that Biscogniauxia (and Eutypella) are parasites that persist on dead material that was fallen to the ground, but probably do not invade such material. Indeed, once material has fallen these taxa probably cannot compete with climax rotters, mostly basidiomycetes. Specific parasite-host combinations noted in the Hawaiian Islands are Biscogniauxia capnodes (Berk.) Y.-M. Ju & J. D. Rogers on Metrosideros polymorpha Gaud., Acacia koa Gray, Eucalyptus sp., Acacia sp.; B. citriformis (Whalley, Hammelev, & Taligoola) Van der Gucht & Whalley on Casuarina equisetifolia L. ex J. R. & G. Forst., and numerous other unidentified decaying branches; B. uniapiculata (Penz. & Sacc.) Whalley & Laessøe on Metrosideros polymorpha, Acacia koa, Eucalyptus sp., Aleurites moluccana (L.) Wild., and Psidium cattleianum Sabine. Whalley (1993) and Rogers (1979) cite other examples in Biscogniauxia and other xylariaceous genera. Reference to Hepting (1971) indicates that Biscogniauxia species [as Hypoxylon and Nummularia] are not generally regarded as serious pathogens of forest trees.

All experimental and observational evidence indicates that Biscogniauxia species are adapted to dry, or at least seasonally dry, habitats. Development within bark probably buffers developing stromata from drying. Sufficient water for the activities of these fungi in dead or drying trees is probably via the decomposition of cellulose with the consequent production of water molecules.