Fungal plant pathogens

The fungal kingdom comprises an immense diversity of life forms. Fungi have adapted to highly distinct niches and constitute key components of all terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Through the secretion of very diverse enzymes they contribute to the degradation of organic compounds and thereby the recycling of nutrients. Fungi have a great capacity to interact with other microorganisms, including other fungi, and they therefore also contribute to the assembly of microbial communities colonizing different substrates or hosts. While many fungi are saprotrophs feeding on dead plant material, some fungi have specialized to colonize living plant tissues. In fact, plants are hosts to highly diverse communities of fungi with a continuum of lifestyles ranging from mutualists to commensals to pathogens. Here, we summarize main concepts in plant pathology research and point to the particular adaptations that enable fungi to colonize and reproduce in plant tissues.