Coarse-scale population structure of pathogenic Armillaria species in a mixed-conifer forest

Abstract: The coarse-scale population structure of pathogenic Armillaria (Fr.) Staude species was determined on ap-proximately 16 100 ha of relatively dry, mixed-conifer forest in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon. Sampling of recently dead or live, symptomatic conifers produced 112 isolates of Armillaria from six tree species. Armillaria spe-cies identifications done by using a polymerase chain reaction based diagnostic and diploid–diploid pairings produced identical results: 108 of the isolates were Armillaria ostoyae (Romagn.) Herink and four were North American Biologi-cal Species X (NABS X). Five genets of A. ostoyae and one of NABS X were identified through the use of somatic incompatibility pairings among the putatively diploid isolates. Armillaria ostoyae genet sizes were approximately 20, 95, 195, 260, and 965 ha; cumulative colonization of the study area was at least 9.5%. The maximum distance between isolates from the 965-ha A. ostoyae genet was approximately 3810 m, and use of three estimates of A. ostoyae spread rate in conifer forests resulted in age estimates for the genet ranging from 1900 to 8650 years. Results are discussed in relation to possible mechanisms that influenced the establishment, expansion, and expression of these genets; the ge-netic structure and stability of Armillaria; and the implications for disease management in this and similar forests. Résumé: La structure grossière des populations des espèces pathogènes d’Armillaria (Fr.) Staude a été établie sur une superficie d’environ 16 100 ha de forêt mixte de conifères relativement sèche située dans les Blue Mountains du Nord-Est de l’Oregon. L’échantillonnage de conifères vivants ou morts récemment montrant des symptômes d’infection