Necrotrophic pathogens

10.330.180.20.30.20^Necrotrophic pathogens

Necrotrophic pathogens

A great diversity of fungi cause plant disease, nearly all major groups are involved. In spite of these numbers there are just two types of parasite to consider: nectrotrophs and biotrophs. Necrotrophs are a little like predators; they kill the tissues they are about to consume before they eat them. Unlike predators, however, they don't normally kill the whole organism, just a part of it. They do this by means of toxins that diffuse out into the host tissues, killing the cells they encounter. The fungus then extends its hyphae into these killed areas and digests them. Biotrophs obtain their nutrition from living cells with which they may establish fairly long-lived associations. They usually penetrate the cell walls of their hosts and establish contact with the cell membrane by means of haustoria, cells specialized for the absorption of nutrients. http://website.nbm-mnb.ca/mycologywebpages/NaturalHistoryOfFungi/PlantParasites.html 2014/10/15 (RD)

Accepted