Obiettivo
TO INVESTIGATE THE POLLUTANT INDUCED ALTERATIONS TO THE PARASITIC FUNGUS ARMILLARIELLA MELLEA (VAHL EX FR) AND TO ESTABLISH THE CHANGES IN ITS PATHOGENICITY.
INDUSTRIAL EMISSIONS, IN WHICH MIXTURES OF POLLUTANTS OCCUR, DECREASES THE PH OF PRECIPITATION, THUS CAUSING PHYSICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL DAMAGE TO CONIFEROUS FOREST AND OTHER ECOSYSTEMS. ATTEMPTS TO QUANTIFY POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS HAVE INCREASED. KNOWLEDGE OF THE EFFECTS OF POLLUTANTS ON FUNGUS PARASITISM OF PLANTS IS PRESENTLY LIMITED.
THE PROJECT IS DESIGNED TOWARDS PROVIDING EVIDENCE FOR POLLUTANT INDUCED ALTERATIONS OF THE BASIDIOMYCETE ARMILLARIELLA MELLEA, CAUSED INDIRECTLY THROUGH EFFECTS ON THE HOST TREE. THIS FACULTATIVE PARASITE, LIKE BOTRYTIS CINEREA AND HETEROBASIDIUM ANNOSUM (SYN FOMES ANNOSUS) THRIVE ON SENESCENT PLANT TISSUE AND ARE KNOWN TO BENEFIT FROM TISSUES INJURED BY AIR POLLUTANTS.
ANY REALISTIC EVALUATION OF THESE EFFECTS DEPENDS ON A PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATURAL METABOLITES OF THE FUNGUS. IT IS PROPOSED TO INVESTIGATE THE METABOLITES OF A. MELLEA, TO ESTABLISH THE PART THEY PLAY IN THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE PARASITE, AND TO EXAMINE THE CHANGES IN STRUCTURE OF THE METABOLITES UNDER ADVERSE CONDITIONS. THE BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF THESE SECONDARY COMPOUNDS WILL BE ASSAYED WITH THE ULTIMATE AIM TO FIND THE VIVOTOXIN OF A. MELLEA.