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Title: ON SOME RUST FUNGI (UREDINALES) COLLECTED IN AN ACACIA KOA-METROSIDEROS POLYMORPHA WOODLAND, MAUNA LOA ROAD, BIG ISLAND, HAWAII

Author
item SCHOLLER, MARKUS - KARLSRUHE, GERMANY
item Aime, Mary

Submitted to: Mycoscience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2006
Publication Date: 6/25/2006
Citation: Scholler, M., Aime, M.C. 2006. On some rust fungi (Uredinales) collected in an Acacia koa-Metrosideros polymorpha woodland, Mauna Loa Road, Big Island, Hawaii. Mycoscience 47:159-165.

Interpretive Summary: Rust fungi are a very large and diverse group of parasites that attack plants and annually cause billions of dollars of crop and forest losses in the United States and throughout the world. Non-native rust fungi threaten U.S. borders as the cause of invasive diseases. Accurate knowledge about the distribution of these fungi is important for preventing the spread of the diseases they cause. This paper reports nine species of rust fungi in Hawaii collected in a natural area. One rust species was not previously known to occur in Hawaii. It was determined that most of the rust fungi in Hawaii have been introduced from other places and occur on introduced hosts. This research will be used by agronomists and plant pathologists, as well as plant regulatory and quarantine officials who need to know where rust fungi occur throughout the world.

Technical Abstract: Nine species of rust fungi (Uredinales) were found during a one-day field study in an Acacia koa-Metrosideros polymorpha woodland in Volcanoes National Park on Big Island, Hawaii. Two species, both on Acacia koa, are native (endemic) rusts whereas seven species are non-native on non-native hosts, highlighting the high proportion of introduced species in the Hawaiian flora even in more or less natural habitats. One species, Uromyces linearis on Panicum repens, constitutes the first record of this rust for the Hawaiian Archipelago, bringing the total to 93 species on the islands, 70 (75.3%) of which are introduced. The species records are annotated with emphasis on the geographic origin of each taxon. In addition, the study has led to the molecular re-evaluation of the genus Racospermyces indicating that it is synonymous with Endoraecium, and six new combinations are proposed for the species previously placed in Racospermyces. The high number of introduced species in Hawaii coupled with the paucity of native species when compared to other global regions are discussed.