#ash dieback

[wild-e-eep]

The forest floor was studded with thousands of tiny, white cup-fungi. These are Hymenoscyphus fraxineus - the fungus that causes the ash dieback disease that has swept across Britain in recent years.

[probablyasocialecologist]

British ash woodland is evolving resistance to ash dieback, researchers discover

Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Queen Mary University of London have discovered that a new generation of ash trees, growing

Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Queen Mary University of London have discovered that a new generation of ash trees, growing naturally in woodland, exhibit greater resistance to the disease compared to older trees. They find that natural selection is acting upon thousands of locations within the ash tree DNA, driving the evolution of resistance. The study, published in Science, offers renewed hope for the future of ash trees in the British landscape and provides compelling evidence for a long-standing prediction of Darwinian theory. Ash dieback, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, arrived in Britain in 2012, prompting an emergency COBRA meeting. The disease has since wrought havoc on the British countryside, leaving behind skeletal remains of dying ash trees. Past predictions estimate that up to 85% of ash trees will succumb to the disease, with none displaying complete immunity. The new study compared the DNA of ash trees established before and after the fungal invasion. Researchers observed subtle shifts in the frequencies of DNA variants associated with tree health across thousands of locations in the genome. These shifts indicate that the younger generation possesses greater resistance than their predecessors, offering hope for the survival of ash trees.

26 June 2025

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Sunday 29 September 2024

A native deciduous tree for woodland and coastal gardens is Fraxinus excelsior (common ash). Here this vigorous tree was growing on the coastline and creating a feature. Unfortunately Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (ash dieback), a lethal fungal disease of ash, presents a substantial threat to this species. It was detected in the UK for the first time in 2012 and is now very widespread. Fortunately this specimen on the Black Isle, Scotland, looked free from infection.

Jill Raggett

[richaldis]

‘New hope’: ash trees rapidly evolving resistance to dieback, study reveals

Subtle DNA changes in trees demonstrate Charles Darwin’s natural selection – although human help may be needed

[panoramicireland]

Ash Trees in Ireland, National Tree Week

Ash trees are one of Ireland's most common native trees. National Tree Week 2021 begins this week, here - ash trees by Panoramic Ireland.

Ash are one of Ireland’s most common native tree and can grow as tall as 40m living for up to 400 years.

[oupacademic]

Biology Week 2017: reading list

It’s the start of Biology Week (7-15th October), an annual celebration of the biological sciences, organised each year by the Royal Society of Biology. To celebrate, we’ve put together a reading list of articles of interest on various topics, including yeast, the environmental impact of mushrooms, management practices to combat ash dieback and more.  

The Rise of Yeast: How the Sugar Fungus Shaped Civilization by Nicholas P. Money

What is the potential for non-native fungi to form new host associations on plants in a new environment, and how can this be useful for biodiversity conservation? by Treena I. Burgess et al. from AoB PLANTS

“The cultivation and environmental impact for mushrooms” by Shu Ting Chang and Solomon P. Wasser from Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Environmental Science

“Diversity of root-associated fungi of Vaccinium mandarinorum along a human disturbance gradient in subtropical forests, China” by Yanhua Zhang et al. from Journal of Plant Ecology

What are the Silvicultural implications of ash dieback on ash trees in Europe, and how can the invasive alien fungal pathogen that causes it (hymenoscyphus fraxineus) be managed accordingly? by Jens Peter Skovsgaard et al. from Forestry

“Plant innate immunity in rice: a defense against pathogen infection” by Wende Liu and Guo-Liang Wang from National Science Review

“New yeasts – new brews: modern approaches to brewing yeast design and development” by B. Gibson from FEMS Yeast Research

“Linking Soil Biodiversity and Human Health: Do Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Contribute to Food Nutrition?” by Pedro M. Antunes et al. from Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Services

“Ancient yet fast: rapid evolution of mating genes and mating systems in fungi” by Timothy Y. James from Rapidly Evolving Genes and Genetic Systems

“Phycomyces, the Fungus That Sees” by Pete A. Ensminger from Life Under the Sun

Image: Mushroom by brenkee. CC0 public domain via Pixabay.

[woodlandtrust]

Ash dieback in the UK | Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust

Ash dieback, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, was first discovered in the UK in 2012. Since this initial finding in the south east of England, the disease caused by this fungus has been found throughout the UK.

Initially it was believed that the fungal spores blew into the south east of England from the continent, however, whilst this is possible, it has since become clear that the disease was imported on infected planting stock and moved throughout the country within the nursery trade. The disease then moved from infected planted sites onto ash trees in the wider environment.

[woodlandtrust]

Ash dieback outbreak has only just begun, says Kent environment chiefs | Kent News

Woodland managers first discovered ash dieback in the east of Kent, but the Forestry Commission says the fungal disease has now been found in almost every part of Kent – with conservationist chiefs fearing more than 75 per cent of ash trees in the county will be affected by 2018.