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Title: Systematics Resources for the Identification of Pests and Pathogens in the Eastern United States

Author
item Rossman, Amy

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/22/2007
Publication Date: 4/10/2007
Citation: Rossman, A.Y. 2007. Systematics Resources for the Identification of Pests and Pathogens in the Eastern United States. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary: N/A

Technical Abstract: New plant pests and pathogens including nematodes are continually being discovered in the eastern United States especially with targeted survey activity for new pests such as sudden oak death and Emerald ash borer. Although some resources are available to assist those making identifications, the traditional means such as consulting a regional monograph or taking a specimen to a local expert are rapidly dwindling. Worldwide, nationally, and locally, the safety net provided by these experts and their research is becoming very thin. Experts at universities and in the government retire and are not replaced and students are no longer trained in systematics. For example, within ARS the number of scientists conducting research on the systematics of fungi, insects, and nematodes has declined by 20-50% over the past twenty years. At the same time, funds required to conduct systematics research has increased as molecular techniques become essential for understanding the diversity of organisms. Fortunately, this problem has been recognized and attempts are being made to fortify systematics programs in the USDA. Resources for specimen identification are increasingly available on the Internet such as at the USDA SBML with the Website with Descriptions of Invasive and Emerging Fungi and the Fungus-Host Database and the USDA SEL Scale Net program. Rapid molecular identification tools such as DNA barcoding are being developed that may prove useful for making for accurate identifications. For these tools to be reliable, an accurate systematic understanding of the target organism is crucial. An increased awareness of the crisis posed by invasive species illustrates the urgent need for systematic knowledge to prevent and respond to invasive pest and pathogens.