Cryphonectria parasitica
Classification
Higher order taxa
Domain: Fungus Kingdom: Fungus Phylum: Ascomycetes Class: Sordariomycete Order: Diaporthales Family: Cryphonectriaceae Genus: Cryphonectria Species: Cryphonectria parasitica
Species
Cryphonectria parasitica
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NCBI: Taxonomy |
Description and significance
Cryphonectria parasitica is a deadly fungus originally found on American chestnut trees outside the chestnut's native range. Cryphonectria parasitica was first observed in the New York City Zoo in 1904 and became known as the "chestnut blight." Originally taxonomically known as Diaporthe parasitica, the fungus was later reclassified into the genus Endothia (Anderson and Anderson, 1912) and finally named Cryphonectria parasitica (Barr, 1978). This foreign pathogen brings deadly disaster. Its emergence has resulted in the American chestnut becoming the dominant species in the forest canopy of North America, while in Europe, some special chestnut populations such as Castanea sativa Mill. have brought near-extinction hazards. This pattern of introduced fungal pathogens wreaking havoc on tree species has persisted, with ash dieback (caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) in Europe being the most recent example (Gross et al. 2014). It is worth noting that chestnut wilt has attracted attention due to its hypovirulence phenomenon, in which viral infection weakens the virulence of the pathogen, providing a basis for biological control of the disease. In addition, conservation breeding efforts aim to restore the American chestnut to its status as an important forest species.
