Multiple new cryptic pathogenic Phytophthora species from Fagaceae forests in Austria, Italy and Portugal

During surveys of Phytophthora diversity in natural and semi-natural Fagaceae forests in Austria, Italy and Portugal, four new cryptic species were isolated from rhizosphere soil samples. Multigene phylogeny based on nuclear ITS, beta-tubulin and HSP90 and mitochondrial cox1 and NADH1 gene sequences demonstrated that two species, P. tyrrhenica and P. vulcanica spp. nov., belong to phylogenetic Clade 7a, while the other two species, P. castanetorum and P. tubulina spp. nov., clustered together with P. quercina forming a new clade, named here as Clade 12. All four new species are homothallic and have low optimum and maximum temperatures for growth and very slow growth rates at their respective optimum temperature. They differed from each other and from related species by a unique combination of morphological characters, cardinal temperatures, and growth rates. Pathogenicity of all Phytophthora species to the root system of their respective host species was demonstrated in soil infestation trials. Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT); Portuguese national funds the European BiodivERsA project RESIPATH: Responses of European Forests and Society to Invasive Pathogens [BIODIVERSA/0002/2012]; Czech Ministry for Education, Youth and Sports; European Regional Development Fund [CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15_003/0000453]; Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA) [K101914]; European Union's Horizon research and innovation programme [635646]; POnTE (Pest Organisms Threatening Europe); Sardinian Regional Government info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion