Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) · University of Pretoria
Email: janneke.aylward@fabi.up.ac.za
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Db-2VHMAAAAJ · ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Janneke_Aylward
Research groups: Tree Protection Co-operative Programme
Dr Janneke Aylward
Research Fellow
About
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 Teratosphaeriafungal pathogens of Eucalyptustrees 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.
My Publications
Journal Articles (38)
Aylward J, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2026)Seiridium insolitum sp. nov.: a new canker pathogen on Cupressus and Hesperocyparis in Southern Africa. Journal of Plant Pathology. doi: 10.1007/s42161-026-02302-z
Aylward J, Atkins S, Roets F, Danti R, Della Rocca G, Emiliani G, Fraser S, Garbelotto MM, Herron DA, Scali E, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2026) High genetic diversity in the Cypress canker pathogen Seiridium cardinale in the Southern Hemisphere.
Plant Pathology.
75.
doi: 10.1111/ppa.70212
Aylward J, Visagie CM, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2026) Genome analyses reveal two novel species of Seiridium from Acacia mearnsii. Mycological Progress. 25. doi: 10.1007/s11557-026-02121-7
Coelho MA, David-Palma M, Aylward J, Pham NQ, Visagie CM, Fuchs T, Yilmaz N, Roets F, Sun S, Taylor JT, Wingfield BD, Fisher MC, Wingfield MJ, Heitman J (2025) Decoding Cryptococcus: From African biodiversity to worldwide prevalence. PLOS Pathogens. 21. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012876
Aylward J, Atkins S, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2025) Several Seiridium species (Sporocadaceae: Xylariales) cause cypress canker in South Africa. Fungal Biology. 129. doi: 10.1016/j.funbio.2024.101528
Coelho MA, David-Palma M, Marincowitz S, Aylward J, Pham NQ, Yurkov AM, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Sheng S, Heitman J (2025) The complex evolution and genomic dynamics of mating-type loci in Cryptococcus and Kwoniella. PLoS Biology. 23. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003417
Aylward J, Marincowitz S, Basson RJ, Rippon W, Wingfield MJ, Roets F (2024) Four new Geosmithia species from bark beetles infesting indigenous South African trees. Fungal Biology. doi: 10.1016/j.funbio.2024.09.006
Aylward J, Wilson AM, Visagie CM, Spraker J, Barnes I, Buitendag C, Ceriani C, Del Mar Angel L, du Plessis D, Fuchs T, Gasser, K, Krämer D, Li W, Munsamy K, Piso A, Price J-L, Sonnekus B, Thomas C, van der Nest A, van Dijk A, van Heerden A, van Vuuren N, Yilmaz N, Duong TA, van der Merwe NA, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD (2024) IMA Genome – F19: A genome assembly and annotation guide to empower mycologists, including annotated draft genome sequences of Ceratocystis pirilliformis, Diaporthe australafricana, Fusarium ophioides, Paecilomyces lecythidis, and Sporothrix stenoceras. IMA Fungus. 15. doi: 10.1186/s43008-024-00142-z
Basson RJ, Roets F, Wingfield MJ, Aylward J (2024) Bark beetles and their associated fungi infesting native Widdringtonia species in the Western Cape province of South Africa. African Entomology. 32. doi: 10.17159/2254-8854/2024/a18505
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. doi: 10.1016/j.funeco.2023.101242
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. lalenivora, Pew. tapulicola, Pew. kalosus, Teratosphaeria carnegiei, and Trichoderma atroviridae SC1. IMA Fungus. 14. doi: 10.1186/s43008-023-00121-w
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. doi: 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. doi: 10.2144/btn-2021-0097
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. doi: 10.1111/ppa.13614
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. doi: 10.1007/s13313-021-00800-5
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. doi: 10.1186/s43008-021-00077-9
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. doi: 10.1007/s00294-021-01208-w
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. doi: 10.1111/efp.12683
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. doi: 10.1111/ppa.13094
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. doi: 10.1111/efp.12645
Wilken PM, Aylward J, Chand R, Grewe F, Lane FA, Sinha S, Ametrano C, Distefano I, Divakur PK, Duong TA, Huhndorf S, Kharwar RN, Lumbsch HT, Navathe S, Pérez CA, Ramírez-Berrutti N, Sharma R, Sun Y, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2020) Draft genome sequences of Ambrosiella cleistominuta, Cercospora brassicicola, C. citrullina, Physcia stellaris and Teratosphaeria pseudoeucalypti.. IMA Fungus. 11. doi: 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. doi: 10.1111/ppa.13235
Havenga M, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Roets F, Dreyer LL, Tatham CT, Duong TA, Wilken PM, Chen S, 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. doi: 10.1016/j.fgb.2020.103350
Aylward J, Roets F, Dreyer LL, Wingfield MJ (2019) Teratosphaeria stem canker of Eucalyptus: two pathogens, one devastating disease. Molecular Plant Pathology. 20. doi: 10.1111/mpp.12758
Wingfield BD, Fourie A, Simpson MC, Bushula-Njah VS, Aylward J, Barnes I, Coetzee MPA, Dreyer LL, Duong TA, Geiser DM, Roets F, Steenkamp ET, van der Nest MA, van Heerden CJ, Wingfield MJ (2019) Draft genome sequences of Fusarium xylarioides, Teratosphaeria gauchensis and T. zuluensis and genome annotation for Ceratocystis fimbriata. IMA Fungus. 10. doi: 10.1186/s43008-019-0013-7
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. doi: 10.1016/j.funbio.2018.10.001
Wingfield BD, Liu M, Nguyen HDT, Lane FA, Morgan SW, De Vos L, Wilken PM, Doung TA, Aylward J, Coetzee MPA, Dadej K, De Beer ZW, Findlay W, Havenga M, Kolarik M, Menzies JG, Naidoo K, Pochopski O, Shoukouhi P, Santana QC, Seifert KA, Soal NA, Steenkamp ET, Tatham CT, Van der Nest MA, 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. doi: 10.5598/imafungus.2018.09.02.10
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. doi: 10.1016/j.funeco.2017.09.002
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. doi: 10.1016/j.funeco.2016.11.005
Aylward J, Steenkamp ET, Dreyer LL, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2017) A plant pathology perspective of fungal genome sequencing. IMA Fungus. 8. doi: 10.5598/imafungus.2017.08.01.01
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. doi: 10.1016/j.fgb.2016.10.002
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. doi: 10.1186/s40793-016-0139-9
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. doi: 10.5598/imafungus.2015.06.02.10
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. doi: 10.1016/j.funbio.2014.12.010
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. doi: 10.1002/ece3.1149
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. doi: 10.1007/s11557-013-0951-1
My Publications
Aylward J, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2026) Seiridium insolitum sp. nov.: a new canker pathogen on Cupressus and Hesperocyparis in Southern Africa. Journal of Plant Pathology 10.1007/s42161-026-02302-z
Aylward J, Atkins S, Roets F, Danti R, Della Rocca G, Emiliani G, Fraser S, Garbelotto MM, Herron DA, Scali E, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2026) High genetic diversity in the Cypress canker pathogen Seiridium cardinale in the Southern Hemisphere. Plant Pathology 10.1111/ppa.70212
Basson RJ, Roets F, Wingfield MJ, Aylward J. (2024) Bark beetles and their associated fungi infesting native Widdringtonia species in the Western Cape province of South Africa. African Entomology 10.17159/2254-8854/2024/a18505
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 10.1016/j.funeco.2023.101242
