Deconstructing Australian Fusarium oxysporum species complex using genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition
Saidi Achari: AgriBio
<div><em>Fusarium oxysporum</em> is an important plant and human pathogen which is readily isolated from agroecosystem and the natural ecosystem soils. Studies have indicated that it is a species complex with many phylogenetic lineages comprised of pathogenic and putatively non-virulent strains. Earlier phylogenetic analysis of Australian isolates using Genealogical Concordance Phylogenetic Species Recognition had identified seven independent evolutionary lineages which delineated into three major clades with two phylogenetic “species”. This study was carried out using the barcoding regions of eight nuclear and mitochondrial genes. A recent study using complete protein coding nuclear genes and complete mitochondrial genome has identified three clades in the complex representing three phylogenetic species. The current study intends to revisit the phylogeny of the Australian <em>F. oxysporum</em> species complex using complete nuclear gene sequences and complete mitochondrial genome. It will also analyse the position of the Australian isolates in the already identified clades and phylogenetic species. Strains from both the agroecosystem and natural ecosystem will be used for the phylogenetic analysis. Knowledge of the phylogenetic lineages from this study will be important in understanding the limits of genetic exchange, the evolutionary potential and most importantly the population diversity of the Australian <em>F. oxysporum</em> species complex. Such information is important for disease management strategies.</div>
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