Abstract
The evidence-based hypothesis is presented that the stems and branches of <em>Pinus sylvestris</em> injured by lightning strikes are colonized first by <em>Therrya fuckelii</em> and successively by <em>Diplodia pinea, Nectria fuckeliana, Hyaloscypha leuconica, Gremmeniella abietina</em> and <em>Cenangium ferruginosum</em>. The concomitant occurrence of these usually pathogenic fungi on injured Pinus trees in Poland signals a potential for their increased significance in Europe during climatic changes.
Highlights
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is amongst the most common trees occurring throughout the hemiboreal forests
The discovery of several groups of dying trees in 50-100-year-old Scots pine stands in northwest Poland in the summer of 2006, with no etiological symptoms of crown or butt and root rot pathogens, or pest infestation, prompted a closer investigation followed by morphological examination of fungi occurring on stems and branches
Samples were collected from groups of dying 50-100-year-old P. sylvestris trees located in Babki (52o23’N, 16o58’E), Skwierzyna (52o38’N, 15o31’E) and Tuczno (53o16’N, 16o11’E) Forest Districts in northwest Poland in July 2006
Summary
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is amongst the most common trees occurring throughout the hemiboreal forests. It is an important tree in Polish commercial forestry. In the last few years, European meteorological data show a steady increase in the incidence and violence of storms and winds, accompanied by heavy rain, hail and lightning in the highlands and lowlands (Anonymous 2005). These changes increase the incidence of mechanical damage to trees and, as a consequence, susceptibility to pathogenic fungi. We report the results of morphological analyses of Ascomycota occurring on dying Scots pines which have been damaged by electrical bursts during thunderstorms
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