A5035920751- Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food
- Plant and Fungal Interactions Research
- Coffee research and impacts
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- Entomopathogenic Microorganisms in Pest Control
- Insect behavior and control techniques
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Insect Resistance and Genetics
- Phytoplasmas and Hemiptera pathogens
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Botanical Research and Applications
- Plant Pathogenic Bacteria Studies
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
- Cocoa and Sweet Potato Agronomy
- Yeasts and Rust Fungi Studies
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Plant Pathogens and Resistance
- Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Cassava research and cyanide
- Marine Sponges and Natural Products
- Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry
Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología
2016-2024
City of Knowledge
2017-2024
Purdue University West Lafayette
2020-2022
University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras
2010-2020
University of Puerto Rico System
2012
Premise Interactions between fungal endophytes and their host plants present useful systems for identifying important factors affecting assembly of host‐associated microbiomes. Here we investigated the role secondary chemistry in mediating affinity asymptomatic foliar endophytic fungi using Psychotria spp. Theobroma cacao (cacao) as hosts. Methods First, surveyed communities species a natural common garden culture‐based methods. Then compared differences community composition with same...
Hawaii has long been one of the last coffee-producing regions world free coffee leaf rust (CLR) disease, which is caused by biotrophic fungus Hemileia vastatrix. However, CLR was detected in farms and feral on island Maui February 2020 subsequently other islands Hawaiian archipelago. The source outbreak not known, could have entered from more than 50 nations that harbor pathogen. To determine source(s) inoculum, we analyzed a set eleven simple sequence repeat markers (SSRs) generated...
Aspergilloses are fungal diseases in humans and animals that is caused by members of the genus Aspergillus. Aspergillus flavus an important opportunistic pathogen, second only to A. fumigatus as a cause human aspergillosis. Differences virulence among isolates from clinical other substrates mating types not well known. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has become model organism for investigating pathogens due similarities between its immune system mammals. In this study we used D. host...
Drosophila melanogaster has become a model system to study interactions between innate immunity and microbial pathogens, yet many aspects regarding its community with pathogens remain unclear. In this wild D. were collected from tropical fruits in Puerto Rico test how the microbiota is distributed compare culturable diversity of fungi bacteria. Additionally, we investigated whether flies are potential vectors human plant pathogens. Eighteen species twelve bacteria isolated flies. The most...
Insects host a highly diverse microbiome, which plays crucial role in insect life. However, the composition and diversity of microbiomes associated with Neotropical freshwater insects is virtually unknown. In addition, extent to diversification this microbiome phylogenetic divergence remains be determined. Here, we present first comprehensive analysis bacterial communities six closely related species water striders Panama. We used comparative analyses assess associations between dominant...
In Puerto Rico, the number of nonnative Green Iguana, Iguana iguana, has increased and species proliferated throughout island. Reports on diet in iguana's native range indicate exclusive herbivory, but observations their occasionally include animal materials. The aim our study was to determine trophic level I. iguana Rico using gut content stable isotopic analysis muscle tissue (tongue leg). We found significant differences signature between leg tongue tissue, which may be related differing...
Endophytic fungi are a ubiquituos group that colonize all plant species on earth. Studies comparing the location of endophytic within leaves and sampling time in Manihot esculenta Crantz (cassava) limited. In this study, mature M. from Panama were collected order to compare cultivable diversity determine their distribution leaves. A total one hundred sixty endophytes belonging 97 representing 13 genera 8 morphospecies determined as mycelia sterilia containing 63 isolates isolated....
Hemileia vastatrix is the most important fungal pathogen of coffee and causal agent recurrent disease epidemics that have invaded nearly every growing region in world. The development varieties resistant to H. requires fundamental understanding biology fungus. However, complete life cycle remains unknown, conflicting studies interpretations exist as whether fungus undergoing sexual reproduction. Here we used population genetics infer reproductive mode across its geographic range, including...
Coffee leaf rust caused by Hemileia vastatrix is the most devastating diseases of Coffea arabica. This study was undertaken to characterise genetic diversity and structure fungal populations collected from major coffee-growing areas Ethiopia using 17 Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) polymorphic markers. Observed alleles per locus ranged 2 13, with an average 5.22. Diversity indices as, total Shannon index pairwise were 0.89 0.92, respectively. The variation observed within population, 92%. Most...