| The goals of this study were to determine if molecular techniques such as restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and DNA sequencing of isolates of Colletotrichum representing several species, with particular emphasis on the host specific forms of C. gloeosporioides could infer phylogenies of these fungi. Morphological observations were also made from isolates used in this study to ensure that the isolates had been accurately identified.;One hundred nine isolates representing seventeen species of Colletotrichum and nineteen host specific forms of C. gloeosporioides were examined for ribosomal DNA (rDNA), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) RFLPs using two restriction enzymes, HindIII and MseI. Multiple haplotypes for each probe/enzyme combination were evident between monoconidial isolates of three species, C. acutatum, C. dematium and C. gloeosporioides. Phylogenetic analyses based on RFLPs identified at least three groups of isolates that were consistently grouped together. The three groups were comprised of isolates representing various host specific forms of C. gloeosporioides, isolates representing C. acutatum and isolates closely resembling C. orbiculare.;Ribosomal DNA sequences of twenty seven isolates representing seven species of Colletotrichum and nineteen host specific forms of C. gloeosporioides were further examined. The region of the rDNA sequenced was comprised of the 3;The results of this study demonstrate the usefulness of molecular based analyses for examining phylogenetic relationships within Colletotrichum. Three groups of isolates, those representing various host specific forms of C. gloeosporioides, C. acutatum and isolates closely resembling C. orbiculare, were consistently identified by molecular analyses as being closely related. |
