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Abstract:

The study of Pseudomonas syringae has recently shifted from an agrocentric context to an ecological perspective. The discovery of new niches inhabited by P. syringae improves our knowledge of the adaptive skills of this bacterial group and helps us realize the extent of its dispersion.  The objective of my doctoral research project is to determine if lichens, the major vegetation of Iceland – an island where only 1% of its land is used for agriculture – harbor P. syringae with pathogenic potential for crops. Of the 16 different types of lichen analyzed, species of only one genera were consistently found to harbor P. syringae: Peltigera spp. I will present the results of two questions addressed in my work.  Firstly, I have tried to determine if P. syringae from lichens are unique to lichens or if lichens simply harbor strains from the surrounding environment.  For this question, the genetic diversity of the strains collected from lichens was compared to that of strains sampled from moss and vascular plants at each sampling site for multiple sites across Iceland. Secondly, I have determined if the fitness and pathogenic potential on crop species of P. syringae strains from lichens is similar to that of strains with well-known epidemiological importance. For this question, I have compared population dynamics and virulence of lichen strains and reference epidemic strains by inoculating species of crop plants that are grown in Iceland (barley, cucumber, kale...). Results will be presented in the seminar. Overall, the results of this work offer a unique opportunity to mark the starting point of observations on potential disease emergence as temperature, prevailing weather and land use change in Iceland as consequences of climate and global change.

On ZOOM:
https://inrae-fr.zoom.us/j/94692691456?pwd=bFlabU5hMkxwOWdhUDVLcHdBQmJoZz09
ID: 946 9269 1456
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