The invasive ergot Claviceps purpurea var. spartinae recently established in the European Wadden Sea on common cord grass is genetically homogeneous and the sclerotia contain high amounts of ergot alkaloids

Boestfleisch, Christian; Drotleff, Astrid M.; Ternes, Waldemar; Nehring, Stefan; Pažoutová, Sylvie; Papenbrock, Jutta

doi:10.1007/s10658-014-0555-x

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Spartina anglica was nearly absent (three seeds in total) from the entire transition zone. A likely culprit is the fungus Claviceps purperea , which invades the spikelets and impairs the development of S. anglica seeds (Boestfleisch et al, ). Additionally, the longevity of S. anglica seeds is known to be generally low (Wolters & Bakker, ), while floating times are relatively long (days) (Koutstaal, Markusse, & De Munck, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Limited seed retention during winter inhibits vegetation establishment in spring, affecting lateral marsh expansion capacity

Regteren

Colosimo

Vries

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Coastal systems worldwide deliver vital ecosystem services, such as biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and coastal protection. Effectivity of these ecosystem services increases when vegetation is present. Understanding the mechanisms behind vegetation establishment in bio‐geomorphic systems is necessary to understand their ability to recover after erosive events and potential adaptations to climate change. In this study, we examined how seed availability affects vegetation establishment in the salt marsh–intertidal flat transition zone: the area with capacity for lateral marsh expansion. This requires vegetation establishment; therefore, seed availability is essential. In a 6‐month field experiment, we simulated a before and after winter seed dispersal at two locations, the salt‐marsh vegetation edge and the intertidal flat, and studied seed retention, the seed bank, and the seed viability of three pioneer marsh species: Salicornia procumbens, Aster tripolium, and Spartina anglica. During winter storm conditions, all supplied seeds eroded away with the sediment surface layer. After winter, supplied seeds from all three species were retained, mostly at the surface while 9% was bioturbated downwards. In the natural seed bank, A. tripolium and S. anglica were practically absent while S. procumbens occurred more frequently. The viability of S. procumbens seeds was highest at the surface, between 80% and 90%. The viability quickly decreased with depth, although viable S. procumbens seeds occurred up to 15 cm depth. Only when seeds were supplied after winter, many S. procumbens and some S. anglica individuals did establish successfully in the transition zone. Viable seed availability formed a vegetation establishment threshold, even with a local seed source. Our results suggest that, although boundary conditions such as elevation, inundation, and weather conditions were appropriate for vegetation establishment in spring, the soil surface in winter can be so dynamic that it limits lateral marsh expansion. These insights can be used for designing effective nature‐based coastal protection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Westhoek are similar regarding bed material, that is, grain size distribution (Boer, 2015) and the bathyme-…”

Section: Zwarte Haan Andmentioning

confidence: 97%

Limited seed retention during winter inhibits vegetation establishment in spring, affecting lateral marsh expansion capacity

Regteren

Colosimo

Vries

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…is distributed only in South Africa and is a known causal agent of ergotism in cattle [31]. Claviceps arundinis (mostly on Phragmites , Mollinia , or Leymus arenarius ) and C. spartinae ( Spartina , Distichlis ) can be very common in their particular habitats, but their grass hosts are not significantly grazed by animals [2,3,32,33]. Populations of others, i.e., Paleartic C. nigricans ( Eleocharis, Scirpus ) or South African Claviceps capensis ( Ehrharta ), C. fimbristylidis ( Fimbristylis ), C .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ergochromes: Heretofore Neglected Side of Ergot Toxicity

Flieger

Stodůlková

Wyka

et al. 2019

Toxins

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Ergot, fungal genus Claviceps, are worldwide distributed grass pathogens known for their production of toxic ergot alkaloids (EAs) and the great agricultural impact they have on both cereal crop and farm animal production. EAs are traditionally considered as the only factor responsible for ergot toxicity. Using broad sampling covering 13 ergot species infecting wild or agricultural grasses (including cereals) across Europe, USA, New Zealand, and South Africa we showed that the content of ergochrome pigments were comparable to the content of EAs in sclerotia. While secalonic acids A–C (SAs), the main ergot ergochromes (ECs), are well known toxins, our study is the first to address the question about their contribution to overall ergot toxicity. Based on our and published data, the importance of SAs in acute intoxication seems to be negligible, but the effect of chronic exposure needs to be evaluated. Nevertheless, they have biological activities at doses corresponding to quantities found in natural conditions. Our study highlights the need for a re-evaluation of ergot toxicity mechanisms and further studies of SAs’ impact on livestock production and food safety.

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“…It is evident that species of the C. purpurea species group have great evolutionary adaptability and tendency for the rapid spreading and subsequent cosmopolitan distribution is seen at least in C. purpurea which is thought to be spread by humans over the world as well as C. spartinae recently invading various areas of Northern America and Europe (Boestfleisch et al 2015). With this in mind, it is important to study the diversity, host and geographical ranges of these ergots.…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%