Host plant genetics affect hidden ecological players: links among Populus, condensed tannins, and fungal endophyte infection

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 356-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph K Bailey ◽  
Ron Deckert ◽  
Jennifer A Schweitzer ◽  
Brian J Rehill ◽  
Richard L Lindroth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Host Plant ◽  
Genetic Markers ◽  
Condensed Tannin ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Fungal Endophyte ◽  
Ecological Genetics ◽  
Plant Genetics ◽  
Endophyte Infection ◽  
Bark Tissue ◽  
Tannin Concentration

Recent studies have shown effects of host plant genetics on community and ecosystem processes, which makes understanding the impacts of genetically based traits on hidden or non-apparent organisms more important. Here we examined links among genetic variation in hybrid cottonwoods, plant phytochemistry, and twig fungal endophytes (i.e., a common hidden organism). We found three major patterns: (1) twig fungal endophyte infection was positively related to the introgression of Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii S. Wats.) RFLP genetic markers, (2) condensed tannin concentration in twig bark tissue was negatively correlated to the introgression of Fremont genetic markers, and (3) fungal endophyte infection was negatively related to condensed tannin concentration in twig bark. These data demonstrate that plant genotype can impact hidden ecological players (i.e., fungal endophytes) resulting in community and ecosystem consequences.Key words: ecological genetics, fungal endophytes, hidden players, hybridization, Populus, tannins.

Fungal endophytes of Festuca rubra increase in frequency following long-term exclusion of rabbits

Botany ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 233-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Santangelo ◽  
Nash E. Turley ◽  
Marc T.J. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Intraspecific Competition ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Fungal Endophyte ◽  
Festuca Rubra ◽  
Red Fescue ◽  
Grass Endophyte ◽  
Defensive Mutualism ◽  
Endophyte Infection

Plant – fungal endophyte interactions are common in nature and they can shape the ecology of plants. Vertically transmitted endophytes are hypothesized to serve as mutualists, protecting plants from herbivores. If this hypothesis is true, then we expect endophytes to be most abundant in the presence of herbivores and least abundant in their absence, assuming endophytes incur a cost to their host. We tested this prediction by studying the effects of intense rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus Linnaeus) grazing on grass–endophyte interactions at Silwood Park, UK. We examined seeds of red fescue (Festuca rubra L.) collected from 15 natural populations that were protected from rabbits for 0.3–21 years. Contrary to our prediction, the mean proportion of seeds with endophytes increased 1.84×, from 0.45 to 0.83, following 21 years of rabbit exclusion. To better understand the mechanisms driving this increase in frequency, we conducted a fully factorial greenhouse experiment where we manipulated the presence or absence of endophyte infection, intraspecific competition, and simulated grazing on F. rubra plants. In both damaged and undamaged treatments, infected plants produced approximately twice as much biomass as uninfected plants, and endophytes did not influence tolerance to herbivory. These results suggest that endophytes directly change plant growth but not compensatory responses to damage. In the absence of competitors, infected plants produced 2.17× more biomass than uninfected plants, whereas in the presence of competitors, infected plants produced only 1.55× more biomass than uninfected plants. This difference suggests that intraspecific competition might lessen the benefits of endophyte infection. Our results do not support the defensive mutualism hypothesis, but instead suggest that endophyte-induced plant growth is important in shaping the costs and benefits of endophytes in our system.

scholarly journals Olfactory responses of Argentine stem weevil to herbivory and endophyte-colonisation in perennial ryegrass

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise M. Hennessy ◽  
Alison J. Popay ◽  
Travis R. Glare ◽  
Sarah C. Finch ◽  
Vanessa M. Cave ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Compounds ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Fungal Endophyte ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Olfactory Responses ◽  
Plant Volatile ◽  
Endophyte Infection ◽  
Listronotus Bonariensis ◽  
Volatile Blend

AbstractArgentine stem weevil adults (ASW, Listronotus bonariensis) feed on the leaves of agricultural grasses and their larvae mine the pseudostem, causing extensive damage that can result in plant death. Plants emit volatiles that serve as signals to host-searching insects and these odours can be altered by both herbivory and fungal endophyte-infection. This study investigated whether ASW adults utilise olfaction to identify their host plants, perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), and if conspecific herbivory or the presence of Epichloë festucae var. lolii fungal endophytes (strain wild-type or AR1) influenced such responses. Results from olfactometer bioassays established that ASW adults were able to utilise their olfactory response to orient towards volatiles released by perennial ryegrass and further, the weevils displayed a preference for plants previously damaged by conspecific weevils. However, there was no evidence that weevils had the ability to distinguish between endophyte-infected and endophyte-free plants using olfaction alone. Using a push–pull extraction technique, thirteen volatile compounds were identified in the blend released by perennial ryegrass. Endophyte and herbivory were found to alter these volatile compounds and quantities emitted by this forage grass. This study suggests that despite observing differences in the plant volatile blend, ASW do not perceive endophyte (wild-type and AR1) using olfaction alone and must rely on other cues, e.g. contact chemoreception or post-ingestional malaise, to detect the presence of a bioactive endophyte in an otherwise acceptable host plant.

Condensed Tannin Concentration of Rhizomatous and Nonrhizomatous Birdsfoot Trefoil in Grazed Mixtures and Monocultures

Crop Science ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 302 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Wen ◽  
C. A. Roberts ◽  
J. E. Williams ◽  
R. L. Kallenbach ◽  
P. R. Beuselinck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Condensed Tannin ◽  
Birdsfoot Trefoil ◽  
Tannin Concentration

scholarly journals Tree Diversity Reduces Fungal Endophyte Richness and Diversity in a Large-Scale Temperate Forest Experiment

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Griffin ◽  
Joshua G. Harrison ◽  
Melissa K. McCormick ◽  
Karin T. Burghardt ◽  
John D. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Fungal Endophyte ◽  
Tree Diversity ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
And Function

Although decades of research have typically demonstrated a positive correlation between biodiversity of primary producers and associated trophic levels, the ecological drivers of this association are poorly understood. Recent evidence suggests that the plant microbiome, or the fungi and bacteria found on and inside plant hosts, may be cryptic yet important drivers of important processes, including primary production and trophic interactions. Here, using high-throughput sequencing, we characterized foliar fungal community diversity, composition, and function from 15 broadleaved tree species (N = 545) in a recently established, large-scale temperate tree diversity experiment using over 17,000 seedlings. Specifically, we tested whether increases in tree richness and phylogenetic diversity would increase fungal endophyte diversity (the “Diversity Begets Diversity” hypothesis), as well as alter community composition (the “Tree Diversity–Endophyte Community” hypothesis) and function (the “Tree Diversity–Endophyte Function” hypothesis) at different spatial scales. We demonstrated that increasing tree richness and phylogenetic diversity decreased fungal species and functional guild richness and diversity, including pathogens, saprotrophs, and parasites, within the first three years of a forest diversity experiment. These patterns were consistent at the neighborhood and tree plot scale. Our results suggest that fungal endophytes, unlike other trophic levels (e.g., herbivores as well as epiphytic bacteria), respond negatively to increasing plant diversity.

A light and electron microscope study of the fungal endophytes in the sporophyte and gametophyte of Lycopodium cernuum with observations on the gametophyte–sporophyte junction

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey G. Duckett ◽  
Roberto Ligrone
Keyword(s):  
Root Nodules ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Fungal Endophyte ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Epidermal Cells ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Wall Material ◽  
Intercellular Spaces ◽  
Host Cytoplasm ◽  
Fungal Associations

The ventral epidermal cells of the photosynthetic, surface-living gametophytes of Lycopodium cernuum, collected from moist shaded banks in Peninsular Malaysia, contain an aseptate fungus. In some cells the hyphae are thick walled and form coils encapsulated by a thin layer of host wall material. In others the fungus is thin walled and shows limited differentiation into larger trunk hyphae and arbuscules. The adjacent host cytoplasm, separated from the fungus by a granular interfacial matrix, contains numerous chloroplasts, mitochondria, and microtubules. The hyphae contact the substratum via the ventral walls of the epidermal cells and the rhizoids are free from infection. In the protocorm and root nodules, aseptate hyphae initially colonize mucilage-filled schizogenous intercellular spaces. Subsequent invasion of the host cells is associated with the development of massive overgrowths of host wall material. The fungal associations in L. cernuum share a mixture of attributes otherwise found in different angiosperm mycorrhizae and in mycotrophic relationships in liverworts. Wall ingrowths are present in both the gametophyte and sporophyte cells in the placenta of L. cernuum. The very limited development of the placenta, compared with L. appressum, certain bryophytes and ferns, the diminutive size, and early senescence of the gametophytes of L. cernuum are all linked to the presence of the protocorm. This massive absorptive organ, homologous to a foot, in terms of its position in sporophyte ontogeny, but external to the parent gametophyte, derives its nutrition partly from photosynthesis and partly from its fungal endophyte. Key words: chloroplasts, Lycopodium, mycorrhiza, pteridophytes, root nodules, symbiosis, transfer cells.

Revealing the endophytic mycoflora in tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves in Sri Lanka: the first comprehensive study

Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 514 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-260
Author(s):  
KASUN THAMBUGALA ◽  
DINUSHANI DARANAGAMA ◽  
SAGARIKA KANNANGARA ◽  
THENUKA KODITUWAKKU
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Camellia Sinensis ◽  
Endophytic Fungi ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Fungal Endophyte ◽  
Tea Leaves ◽  
Molecular Sequence Data ◽  
Molecular Sequence ◽  
Rdna Sequence Data

Endophytic fungi are a diverse group of microorganisms that live asymptomatically in healthy tissues of host and they have been reported from all kinds of plant tissues such as leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruits. In this study, fungal endophytes associated with tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) were collected from Kandy, Kegalle, and Nuwara Eliya districts in Sri Lanka and were isolated, characterized, and identified. A total of twenty endophytic fungal isolates belonging to five genera were recovered and ITS-rDNA sequence data were used to identify them. All isolated endophytic fungal strains belong to the phylum Ascomycota and the majority of these isolates were identified as Colletotrichum species. Phyllosticta capitalensis was the most commonly found fungal endophyte in tea leaves and was recorded in all three districts where the samples were collected. This is the very first investigation on fungal endophytes associated with C. sinensis in Sri Lanka based on molecular sequence data. In addition, a comprehensive account of known endophytic fungi reported worldwide on Camellia sinensis is provided.

scholarly journals Neotyphodium impacts on soil nematode communities: rhizosphere- and litter-mediated interactions

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 107-110
Author(s):  
M. Omacini ◽  
E.J. Chaneton ◽  
C.M. Ghersa
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Lolium Multiflorum ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Patch Dynamics ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Soil Nematode ◽  
Patch Occupancy ◽  
Nematode Communities ◽  
Endophyte Infection ◽  
Soil Nematode Communities

There is a growing recognition that endophyte effects on host plant traits may be propagated through food chains. We studied Neotyphodium occultans effects on soil nematode communities mediated by current and past patch occupancy by endophyteinfected Lolium multiflorum populations. A microcosm experiment was performed to evaluate whether abundance and diversity of nematodes at different trophic levels were affected by endophyte infection through rhizosphere-mediated or littermediated effects. We found that presence of endophyte-infected plants and their aerial litter both triggered a bottom-up trophic cascade enhancing the abundance of herbivorous and predaceous nematode taxa. Endophyte infection also increased overall nematode richness, mostly through changes induced at the highest trophic level in this soil food web. Our results suggest that fungal endophytes can modify the linkages between aboveand belowground community compartments, with potential consequences on plant patch dynamics. Keywords: soil food webs, Lolium multiflorum, Neotyphodium occultans, plant-soil feedback, after-life effects, indirect interactions, trophic cascades

Morphology and agronomic performance of white clover with increased flowering and condensed tannin concentration

2006 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. T. Burggraaf ◽  
S. L. Woodward ◽  
D. R. Woodfield ◽  
E. R. Thom ◽  
G. C. Waghorn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Condensed Tannin ◽  
Agronomic Performance ◽  
Tannin Concentration

THE ROLE OF CONDENSED TANNINS IN THE DIGESTION OF FRESH Lotus pedunculatus BY SHEEP

1984 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 181-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. N. BARRY
Keyword(s):  
Growth Hormone ◽  
Condensed Tannins ◽  
Condensed Tannin ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrate ◽  
Hormone Concentration ◽  
Plasma Growth Hormone ◽  
Tannin Concentration ◽  
Lotus Pedunculatus ◽  
Ruminal Digestion

Relative to non-tannin-containing fresh forages, condensed tannins in Lotus pedunculatus increased duodenal N flow and calculated absorption of amino acids from the small intestine, but depressed ruminal digestion of soluble carbohydrate and hemicellulose. Plasma growth hormone concentration was positively and linearly related to forage condensed tannin concentration. Key words: Condensed tannin, nitrogen digestion, growth hormone

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document