Data from: Patterns of colonization and spread in the fungal spruce pathogen Onnia tomentosa

Using a combination of spatial coordinates and molecular data based on the analysis of two mitochondrial and three nuclear loci, we measured the average genet size and molecular diversity and assessed the relative contribution of basidiospores and vegetative growth to the stand colonization. Most of the sampled basidiocarps that clustered spatially belonged to the same genet. A total of thirty-seven discrete multilocus genets of an average size of 3.42 m were obtained.

The genet size distribution was skewed toward smaller genets (< 3 m) that displayed higher diversity than the larger genets (> 3 m). The nuclear loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the larger genets, but not in the smaller genets, which displayed a deficiency of heterozygotes. This suggests a Wahlund effect, whereby different colonization events resulted in expected heterozygosity higher than observed heterozygosity.

Using an estimate of the growth rate of the fungus, only a few of the largest genets were approximately the age of the plantation. These observations are consistent with the colonization by basidiospores subsequent to site preparation and tree planting followed by secondary colonization events and vegetative spread.

Usage notes

CLones_3_MJB Multilocus Genotypes of fungus, with size of clones in bins of 3 m IT_Act_MJB Phylip file of Actin gene sequence. No clone correction. IT_BT_MJB Phylip file of Beta-tubulin sequence, no clone-correction IT_RPB1_MJB Phylip file of Onnia tomentosa, individual sequence of carpophores