Differentiated reactions of fungi of the order Erysiphales in urban areas: monophagous and polyphagous species

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine sensitivity of monophagous and polyphagous species of the Erysiphales to transport pollution. The infection degree of host plants was used as the assessment criterion. The test material consisted of fungi collected in 25 urban localities in the city of Olsztyn, established in places with high transport pollution concentrations, and 25 localities outside it, free from the influence of automotive exhaust gases, over a long-term period. Individual species of fungi, regardless of the scope of parasitisation, showed different reactions to pollution: the infection index always decreased in the case of sensitive species in urban conditions. The reactions of monophagous species were clearly specific and orientated at resistance or sensitivity. Polyphagous species reacted less specificaly: the same species showed a very high sensitivity on one host and resistance on another. These findings are indicative of a greater eco-physiological stability of the "host-pathogen" system with the participation of monophagous species than that with the participation of polyphagous species.