These projects were part of the stream monitoring for Phytophthora project:
Effects of salinity on P. ramorum growth, survival, and sporulation (UW Tacoma, Environmental Microbiology)
“The shoe experiment” – testing various disinfectants for sanitizing the bottoms of shoes (Pierce College, Puyallup, Biology 213)
Sudden Oak Death is a disease caused a microscopic organism (Phytophthora ramorum) that was accidentally introduced into the western US. The disease has killed thousands of trees in California and Oregon, but it has had limited impact in Washington so far.
Phytophthora species are known as plant destroyers because the Greek origin of the word generally translates as follows:
Species in the Phytophthora genus cause many important plant diseases globally and they have substantial impacts on society.
Much of our research focuses on this exiting group of microbes. The impacts of Sudden Oak Death are just one example of the ‘destruction’ caused by this group.
We have a number of opportunities for local high school and college students to work on research projects involving sudden oak death and other plant diseases.
In general, you will gain skills in:
Please contact us for more information or to learn more about the types of exciting and important careers these skills will prepare you for.
You can also browse the links to previous projects below for an idea of the kind of opportunities we have.
Below are a few resources we have developed to help students who participate in our program.
Please contact us if you are interested in organizing and educational activity with us or if you would like to learn more about the opportunities we have for students.
Click here to see the results of these projects
Oomycetes are fungus-like organisms found in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments. Some, such as Phytophthora, Pythium, and Saprolegnia, are parasites of plants and animals. DNA sequence data has revealed that these organisms are not fungi, but are more closely related to brown algae and diatoms. We will be “fishing” for these organisms by using baits form various plant species.
Ornamental plant nurseries have historically been a source of invasive plant diseases since they acquire plant material from many different sources and disease symptoms can be difficult to recognize on some hosts. like disease epidemics in the human population, once the disease moves onto a plant host with high susceptibility it can be very devastating. Phytophthora pathogens are the cause of some of the most destructive plant disease outbreaks, such as Sudden Oak Death, caused by P. ramorum.
This project, we will sample stormwater retention ponds in newly landscaped housing developments in Puyallup. The goal is to identify Phytophthora species that may be moving from landscaped areas into the ponds. This will help us to determine which pathogens are present on the landscape plants and allow us to detect any invasive species early. In addition, some baseline information about Phytophthoras and other oomycetes in the these ponds will be collected.
We are looking for someone who is interested in getting experience working in a laboratory. Volunteers and students with an interest in environmental microbiology and/or plant pathology would benefit from working on this project. In the lab at WSU Puyallup, symptomatic material from leaf samples will be cultured on selctive media. Colonies of P. ramorum and other Phytophthora species will be isolated and identified using morphological and molecular methods.
For more information or to volunteer contact Marianne Elliott.
Back to Stream Monitoring Student Projects
In 2015 we have two stream monitoring projects:
Community-based stream monitoring for Phytophthora ramorum on the northern Olympic Peninsula.
Monitoring for invasive Phytophthora species in stormwater retention ponds
Click here for a calendar of upcoming events.
Sudden Oak Death is a disease caused by Phytophthora ramorum, an exotic microscopic organism that was accidentally introduced into the western US. The disease has killed thousands of trees in California and Oregon, and threatens natural environments in Washington.
Phytophthora ramorum also has a broad host range and presents a unique challenge to many industries in Washington. The effects on ornamental plant species are of particular concern. Therefore, we have prepared several resources to help you identify and report possible occurrences, included below.
Please contact us if you additional questions or concerns.
There are many diseases and pests that produce symptoms similar to those of Sudden Oak Death. This guide will help you to rule out SOD by identifying some of the more commonly encountered pest problems. In addition, it will help determine whether the plant is potentially infected with P. ramorum and the need for a sample to be collected.
Currently there are 5 tree species native to western North America that can be killed when they are infected with Phytophthora ramorum. These are tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) and four oak species – Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), Canyon live oak (Q. chrysolepis), California black oak (Q. kelloggii), and Shreve oak (Q. parvula var. shrevei).
In Europe, P. ramorum has been found to cause stem cankers leading to death of European beech (Fagus sylvatica), European sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), Northern red oak (Q. rubra), Sessile oak (Q. petraea), Southern beech (Nothofagus obliqua), Southern red oak (Q. falcata), and Turkey oak (Q. cerris). None of these tree species are native to Washington State, although they can be found planted as ornamentals.
Some tree diseases that produce symptoms similar to P. ramorum are the following:
Phytophthora ramorum produces leaf blotches, twig cankers, and shoot die-back on many plants. In some cases the shoot dieback may be severe enough to kill the plants (e.g., huckleberry and madrone), but in general they do not usually die as a result of P. ramorum infection. These are the most common hosts in Washington State.
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