Molecular analyses to study invasions by forest pathogens: examples from Mediterranean ecosystems

Abstract

Biological invasions by plants and animals have been the subject of several review papers, but invasions by plant pathogens have only occasionally been described and reviewed. The present paper discusses exotic plant diseases whose epidemiology has been clarified using molecular analysis. Because the list of all exotic plant diseases is quite large, this review focuses on forest diseases caused by exotic microbes in Mediterranean ecosystems. In particular, the contribution of molecular studies on exotic forest diseases in favour of or against general invasion biology theory is highlighted. The review follows different phases of the invasion process, giving examples of particular diseases/pathogens for which characteristics have been analyzed.