Mechanisms of minichromosome-mediated genome dynamics in the cereal blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Graphical abstract of the experimental evolution approach.To determine if structural genome plasticity is environmentally regulated, M. oryzae isolates are subjected to serial passages under different conditions. M. oryzae is a multi-host pathogenEnvironmental pressure drives phenotypic change.Serial passages in the presence of hydrogen peroxide lead to a fluffy colony phenotype that is selected in subsequent generations, potentially conferring an adaptive advantage to this environmental condition.