Evolutionary history of an emerging fungal tree pathogen

Emerging pathogens get attention once they cause significant damage to ecosystems. Whether these pathogens were brought to new locations recently (recent invasions) or their populations exploded in size due to shifts in ecosystem balance, is often of a great interest and importance. This project examines population structure and evolutionary history of an emerging tropical fungal tree pathogen. In populations of Phellinus noxius we have examined paired-end RAD-seq polymorphism in 15 locations across the region of Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. This work has shown that Phellinus noxious populations are highly structured, have complex migration patterns and a long evolutionary history in the studied region.