Structure And Diversity Offusariumcommunities Inhabiting Non-Cultivated Grass Inflorescences In New York State

The structure and diversity of wild grass spike-inhabitingFusariumcommunities are not well understood. Fifteen common, non-cultivated grasses were surveyed across two years, regions, and land uses for spike-dwellingFusariumspp. Eleven fungal species were identified from 857 isolates, including two,F. camptocerasandF. lactis, not recorded previously in New York state or on grass hosts. Species diversity and community structure varied by year and region. Land use and host community did not influenceFusariumcommunities, and no species-specific grass-Fusariumassociations were detected.Fusariumcommunities were divided into two categories, those dominated byF. graminearumand those dominated byF. sporotrichioides. The community formation process is relevant to disease prediction and toxin monitoring in cropping systems as well as to land management practices at the intersection of agricultural and natural spaces.