Dr Janneke Aylward



Research Fellow

Department

FABI
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Research Profiles

I started out at FABI as a mentorship student in 2010, did my BSc(Hons) here in 2011, and then moved to Stellenbosch University. But being the fantastic place that it is, I had to come back! So after obtaining my PhD at Stellenbosch, I joined FABI as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the beginning of 2017. I still collaborate closely with my previous postgraduate advisors in Stellenbosch and continue to work in their laboratories.

I am excited about using genetic resources to survey populations and study adaptations, at both the population and individual levels. Whole-genome and transcriptome sequences are invaluable genetic resources that I use as “blueprints” in my research. These blueprints reveal aspects of the organism’s biology and ecology that can be further pursued by in vitro experiments. I find it particularly interesting to identify characteristics that enable organisms to invade and occupy specific niches. Especially when these can, subsequently, inform management protocols.

My postgraduate research considered the population genetics and genomics of ophiostomatoid fungi that occupy the flower heads of the iconic Cape Protea plants. Currently, my primary focus is on Teratosphaeria fungal pathogens of Eucalyptus trees in forestry plantations. The contrast between the closely related leaf and stem pathogens in the genus Teratosphaeria is specifically intriguing and is one of the focal points of my genomics-based research.

News

FABIans present at the Australasian Plant Pathology Society conference

The Australasian Plant Pathology Society (APPS) celebrated its 50th anniversary at their 22nd Biennial conference in Melbourne from 25-28 November. They met up with a number of FABIans at the meeting.

Modelling Workshop hosted by FABI

FABI hosted a simulation modelling workshop led by two leaders in the field, Dr Serge Savary and Dr Laetitia Willocquet; both senior scientists at the AGIR Research unit of INRA’s Research Centre of Toulouse in France.

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Publication
Visagie CM, Magistà D, Ferrara M, Balocchi F, Duong TA, Eichmeier A, Gramaje D, Aylward J, Baker SE, Barnes I, Calhoun S, De Angelis M, Frisvad JC, Hakalova E, Hayes RD, Houbraken J, Grigoriev IV, LaButti K, Leal C, Lipzen C, Ng V, Pangilinan J, Pecenka J, Perrone G, Piso A, Savage E, Spetik E, Wingfield MJ, Zhang Y, Wingfield BD. (2023) IMA genome-F18 - The reidentification of Penicillium genomes available in the NCBI and draft genomes for Penicillium species from dry cured meat, Penicillium biforme, P. brevicompactum, P. solitum, and P. cvjetkovicii, Pewenomyces kutranfy, Pew. tapulicola, Pew. kalosus, Teratosphaeria carnegiei, and Trichoderma atroviridae SC1. IMA Fungus 14(21) 10.1186/s43008-023-00121-w
Aylward J, Ngubane NP, Dreyer LL, Oberlander K, Wingfield MJ, Roets F. (2023) Convergent evolution unites the population genetics of Protea-associated ophiostomatoid fungi. Fungal Ecology 63:101242. 10.1016/j.funeco.2023.101242
Aylward J, Roets F, Dreyer LL, Wingfield MJ. (2023) Unseen fungal biodiversity and complex inter-organismal interactions in Protea flower heads. Fungal Biology Reviews 45:100317. 10.1016/j.fbr.2023.100317
Wingfield MJ, Marincowitz S, Pham NQ, Roets F, Paap T, Wingfield BD, Aylward J. (2022) Cypress Canker: An important disease discovered for the first time on a native South African tree. Plant Pathology 71:1735-1742. 10.1111/ppa.13614
Crous PW, Aylward J, Marincowitz S, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, et al.. (2022) Fungal Planet description sheets: 1383–1435. Persoonia 48:261. 10.3767/persoonia.2022.48.08 PDF
Aylward J, Havenga M, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Steenkamp ET. (2022) Novel mating-type-associated genes and gene fragments in the genomes of Mycosphaerellaceae and Teratosphaeriaceae fungi. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 171:107456. 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107456
Aylward J, Wingfield MJ, Roets F, Wingfield BD. (2022) A high-quality fungal genome assembly resolved from a sample accidentally contaminated by multiple taxa. BioTechniques 72:39-50. 10.2144/btn-2021-0097
Duong AT, Aylward J, Ametrano CG, Poudel E, Santana QC, Wilken PM, Martin A, Arun-Chinnappa KS, De Vos L, DiStefano I, Grewe F, Huhndorf S, Lumbsch HT, Rakoma JR, Steenkamp ET, Sun Y, van der Nest MA, Wingfield MJ, Yilmaz N, Wingfield BD. (2021) Draft genome assembly of Fusarium pilosicola, Meredithiella fracta, Niebla homalea, Pyrenophora teres hybrid WAC10721, and Teratosphaeria viscida. IMA Fungus 12(1):30. 10.1186/s43008-021-00077-9
Aylward J, Havenga M, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Pérez CA, Ramírez-Berrutti N, Carnegie AJ, Wingfield MJ. (2021) Genetic diversity of Teratosphaeria pseudoeucalypti in Eucalyptus plantations in Australia and Uruguay. Australasian Plant Pathology 50:639–649. 10.1007/s13313-021-00800-5
Havenga M, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Marincowitz S, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Japarudin Y, Aylward J. (2021) Genetic recombination in Teratosphaeria destructans causing a new disease outbreak in Malaysia. Forest Pathology 51(3):e12683. 10.1111/efp.12683 PDF
Havenga M, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Aylward J. (2021) Genetic response to nitrogen starvation in the aggressive Eucalyptus foliar pathogen Teratosphaeria destructans. Current Genetics 10.1007/s00294-021-01208-w
Havenga M, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Aylward J. (2020) Diagnostic markers for Teratosphaeria destructans and closely related species. Forest Pathology 50(6):e12645. 10.1111/efp.12645
Wilken PM, Kharwar RN, Lumbsch HT, Navathe S, Pérez CA, Ramírez-Berrutti N, Sharma R, Sun Y, Wingfield BD, Huhndorf S, Duong TA, Aylward J, Chand R, Grewe F, Lane FA, Sinha S, Ametrano C, Distefano I, Divakur PK, Wingfield MJ. (2020) Draft genome sequences of Ambrosiella cleistominuta, Cercospora brassicicola, C. citrullina, Physcia stellaris and Teratosphaeria pseudoeucalypti.. IMA Fungus 11(19) 10.1186/s43008-020-00039-7
Havenga M, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Chen SF, Aylward J. (2020) Low genetic diversity and strong geographic structure in introduced populations of the Eucalyptus foliar pathogen Teratosphaeria destructans. Plant Pathology 69(8):1540-1550. 10.1111/ppa.13235
Havenga M, Chen S, Wilken PM, Duong TA, Tatham CT, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD, Aylward J. (2020) Mating strategy and mating type distribution in six global populations of the Eucalyptus foliar pathogen Teratosphaeria destructans. Fungal Genetics and Biology 137:103350. 10.1016/j.fgb.2020.103350
Aylward J, Havenga M, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2020) Genomic characterization of mating type loci and mating type distribution in two apparently asexual plantation tree pathogens. Plant Pathology 69:28-37. 10.1111/ppa.13094 PDF
Wingfield BD, van Heerden CJ, van der Nest MA, Steenkamp ET, Roets F, Geiser DM, Duong TA, Dreyer LL, Coetzee MPA, Barnes I, Aylward J, Bushula-Njah VS, Simpson MC, Fourie A, Wingfield MJ. (2019) Draft genome sequences of Fusarium xylarioides, Teratosphaeria gauchensis and T. zuluensis and genome annotation for Ceratocystis fimbriata. IMA Fungus 10(13) 10.1186/s43008-019-0013-7 PDF
Aylward J, Roets F, Dreyer LL, Wingfield MJ. (2019) Teratosphaeria stem canker of Eucalyptus: two pathogens, one devastating disease. Molecular Plant Pathology 20(1):8-19. 10.1111/mpp.12758 PDF
Wingfield BD, Kolarik M, Menzies JG, Naidoo K, Pochopski O, Shoukouhi P, Santana QC, Seifert KA, Soal NA, Steenkamp ET, Tatham CT, Van der Nest MA, Havenga M, Findlay W, Liu M, Nguyen HDT, Lane FA, Morgan SW, De Vos L, Wilken PM, Doung TA, Aylward J, Coetzee MPA, Dadej K, De Beer ZW, Wingfield MJ. (2018) Nine draft genome sequences of Claviceps purpurea s.lat., including C. arundinis, C. humidiphila, and C. cf. spartinae, pseudomolecules for the pitch canker pathogen Fusarium circinatum, draft genome of Davidsoniella eucalypti, Grosmannia galeiformis, Quambalaria eucalypti, and Teratosphaeria destructans. IMA Fungus 9(2):401-418. 10.5598/imafungus.2018.09.02.10 PDF
Aylward J, Wingfield BD, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Wingfield MJ, Steenkamp ET. (2018) Genomic overview of closely related fungi with different Protea host ranges. Fungal Biology 122(12):1201-1214. 10.1016/j.funbio.2018.10.001 PDF
Aylward J, Wingfield BD, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Wingfield MJ, Steenkamp ET. (2017) Contrasting carbon metabolism in saprotrophic and pathogenic Microascalean fungi from Protea trees. Fungal Ecology 30:88-100. 10.1016/j.funeco.2017.09.002 PDF
Aylward J, Steenkamp ET, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2017) A plant pathology perspective of fungal genome sequencing. IMA Fungus 8(1):1-15. 10.5598/imafungus.2017.08.01.01 PDF
Aylward J, Dreyer LL, Laas T, Smit L, Roets F. (2017) Knoxdaviesia capensis: dispersal ecology and population genetics of a flower-associated fungus. Fungal Ecology 26:28-36. 10.1016/j.funeco.2016.11.005
Aylward J, Steenkamp ET, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2016) Genome sequences of Knoxdaviesia capensis and K. proteae (Fungi: Ascomycota) from Protea trees in South Africa. Standards in Genomic Sciences 11(1):1-7. 10.1186/s40793-016-0139-9 PDF
Aylward J, Steenkamp ET, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. (2016) Genetic basis for high population diversity in Protea-associated Knoxdaviesia. Fungal Genetics and Biology 96:47-57. 10.1016/j.fgb.2016.10.002 PDF
Aylward J, Dreyer LL, Steenkamp ET, Wingfield MJ, Roets F. (2015) Knoxdaviesia proteae is not the only Knoxdaviesia-symbiont of Protea repens. IMA Fungus 6(2):471-476. 10.5598/imafungus.2015.06.02.10 PDF
Aylward J, Dreyer LL, Steenkamp ET, Wingfield MJ, Roets F. (2015) Long-distance dispersal and recolonization of a fire-destroyed niche by a mite-associated fungus. Fungal Biology 119(4):245-256. 10.1016/j.funbio.2014.12.010 PDF
Aylward J, Dreyer LL, Steenkamp ET, Wingfield MJ, Roets F. (2014) Panmixia defines the genetic diversity of a unique arthropod-dispersed fungus specific to Protea flowers. Ecology and Evolution 4(17):3444-3455. 10.1002/ece3.1149 PDF
Aylward J, Dreyer LL, Steenkamp ET, Wingfield MJ, Roets F. (2014) Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for the genetic characterisation of Knoxdaviesia proteae (Ascomycota: Microascales) using ISSR-PCR and pyrosequencing. Mycological Progress 13(2):439-444. 10.1007/s11557-013-0951-1 PDF