Reciprocal Sentinel Tree Fungal Pathogen Communities Across Three Continents

A dataset examining foliar fungal pathogen communities in reciprocal sentinel tree plantings across three continents. The data, collected by Isabel Alvarez Munck and last updated in May 2026, reveals that geographic location and tree species were the strongest predictors of fungal community structure. High Throughput Sequencing (HTS) greatly expanded pathogen detection compared to classical methods, revealing numerous unculturable fungi and previously unknown potential host-pathogen associations.

Use Cases

• Modeling fungal community structure based on geographic location and tree species, as described in the study.
• Comparing pathogen detection rates between High Throughput Sequencing and classical isolation-based methods.
• Analyzing seasonal variation in pathogen assemblages between early and late-season sampling.
• Identifying latent or epiphytic colonization patterns by examining pathogens found in asymptomatic plants.
• Informing phytosanitary policy by translating sentinel network outputs into actionable recommendations for National Plant Protection Organizations.

Strengths

• Data originates from a structured, multi-continent reciprocal sentinel planting experiment.
• Analysis leverages High Throughput Sequencing, which the description states greatly expanded pathogen detection compared to classical methods.
• The dataset supports findings on key predictors like geography, tree species, and seasonality.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The 13.2 MB file size suggests a relatively small dataset, potentially limiting the scope of analysis.

Provenance

Source

Isabel Alvarez Munck via figshare.

Collection Method

High Throughput Sequencing of foliar fungal communities from reciprocal ex patria sentinel tree plantings.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 05:29:00.

Geography

Reciprocal plantings across three continents.