Thanks for the feedback Bodean, I appreciate it.
LIFE CYCLE/BIOLOGY OF PATHOGEN
Phytophthora species are funguslike organisms, related to algae, which occur worldwide. They are water loving and produce plentiful spores in moist or humid conditions. Most known Phytophthora species are soil-dwelling root pathogens; however, P. ramorum acts primarily as a leaf pathogen. In California, it thrives in the coastal tanoak/redwood forests and oak woodlands within the fog belt. Nurseries outside of these cool, moist areas often create microclimates that mimic an environment supportive of P. ramorum and allow it to grow and spread far from the coast.
While most nonoak hosts are not killed by the disease, they do play a key role in the spread of P. ramorum, acting as a breeding ground for inoculum that can spread through water, wind-driven rain, plant material, or human activity. Oaks are considered terminal hosts, since the pathogen does not readily spread from intact bark cankers; they become infected only when exposed to spores produced on the leaves and twigs of neighboring plants.
Research in California forests has shown that the greatest predictor of P. ramorum canker on oak is the presence of California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica). Pathologists believe P. ramorum drips or is blown down onto oak trunks from neighboring bay leaves when it rains. Once on the oak trunk, P. ramorum uses natural openings in the bark to colonize the bark tissues, killing cells and clogging water and nutrient transport vessels.
Jomo