Big Sacaton and Endophyte-Infected Arizona Fescue Germination under Water Stress

Neil, Kaesha; Tiller, Ronald L.; Faeth, Stanley H.

doi:10.2307/4003936

Cited by 28 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The lower germination of seeds under natural conditions compared to that in the laboratory indicates that the sub-arctic winter constrains seedling establishment and thus growth rate of F. rubra populations by reducing seed germination. Similarly to some past studies focusing on natural grass populations (Faeth 2002;Neil et al 2003;Hamilton and Faeth 2005), no diVerences in germination success between endophyte-infected and endophyte-free seeds of F. rubra and F. ovina were detected in the greenhouse experiment. However, endophyte-free red fescue seeds from river banks had higher germination incidence after the winter exposure than endophyte-infected seeds Table 2 EVects of treatments and a covariate (seedling number/pot) on the performance of red fescue (Festuca rubra s.l.)…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 44%

Variable effects of endophytic fungus on seedling establishment of fine fescues

et al. 2008

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Seedborne systemic endophytic fungi of grasses are thought to be plant mutualists, because they have been shown to improve their host's resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. The interactions in plant-endophyte associations vary from mutualistic to parasitic with environmental conditions and the genotypes of interacting species. The possible pros and cons of endophytic fungi are expected to be most evident during the seedling establishment, where host fitness is most directly affected. If this holds true, endophytes may play a focal role in local adaptation of hosts to different environments. We examined if endophyte-infected and uninfected seeds and seedlings of two native grass species, Festuca rubra and F. ovina, differ in seed germination and seedling growth rates under greenhouse conditions. The germination of F. rubra seeds was also studied in the field. This is the first time that the effects of Epichloë endophyte on seedling establishment of fine fescues from natural populations have been experimentally evaluated. Mother plant (seed family) had a marked effect on many response variables in both grass species. Length and mean biomass of tillers of endophyte-infected (E+) F. ovina seedlings were lower, but root:shoot ratios were higher than in endophyte-free (E-) seedlings. In F. rubra, the effects of the endophyte were dependent on the habitat where the seeds were collected. The E+ seeds from river banks germinated faster than E+ seeds from meadows, and E+ seedlings from the river banks produced fewer but taller and heavier tillers than the other seedlings. Our data suggest that the effects of the endophyte infection on the seedling stage of fine fescues are dependent the species of grass, host genetic background and mother plant habitat. The germination strategy and growth form of E+ red fescue seedlings from river banks may be beneficial to surviving in the harsh conditions of that habitat.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 44%

Variable effects of endophytic fungus on seedling establishment of fine fescues

et al. 2008

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“…It has been found that endophyte infection increases germination in Festuca arundinacea (Pinkerton et al 1990), Lolium perenne (Clay 1987) and Bromus setifolius (Novas et al 2003), and there are also reports about the effect of Neotyphodium on the germination of DHG (Li 2005(Li , 2007Gou 2007). However, some studies have reported that an endophyte does not affect seed germination of Festuca arizonica (Neil et al 2003;Faeth et al 2004) or Festuca arundinacea (Bacon 1993). It can be argued that these inconsistencies arise from comparing experiments in which endophyte effects were confounded by the genetic origin of the host plants, and also with the conditions of seed production and afterripening (Gutterman 2000;Pedro et al 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Effects of cadmium stress on seed germination, seedling growth and antioxidative enzymes in Achnatherum inebrians plants infected with a Neotyphodium endophyte

Zhang

Fan

et al. 2009

Plant Growth Regul

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“…Several studies revealed that seeds of some arid plant species have an adaptation to germinate under water stress at water potentials as low as À1.0 MPa (Schütz et al 2002) andeven À1.5 MPa (Evans andEtherington 1990;Briedé and McKell 1992;Neil et al 2003), and that desert plants have faster germination than plants living in wetter areas (Jurado and Westoby 1992). Accordingly, the ability to germinate fast and at low water potentials are advantages that may be vital for species colonising arid and semiarid environments (Evans and Etherington 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Soil water availability effects on seed germination account for species segregation in semiarid roadslopes

et al. 2007

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Previous studies report that the low colonisation success on eroded roadslopes of semiarid environments is controlled by microsite limitations. We predicted that soil water availability, through its effect on seed germination, is a determinant factor in the colonisation process of roadslopes in semiarid environments. Moreover, we predicted that the success of species establishment on the harshest roadslope conditions (i.e., south-facing roadcuts) is either due to the ability of seeds to germinate fast at low water potentials (colonising species) or to the ability of plants to sprout (resistant species). Specifically we present evidence for: (1) soil drying occurs faster on roadcuts than on roadfills after a rainfall event;(2) germination is a filtering process that influences the success of species establishment on roadslopes; (3) species able to colonise successfully south-facing roadcuts have higher germination rates and a shorter time to germination under water-stress conditions than species able to colonise successfully but exclusively the most favourable roadslopes (i.e., roadfills); (4) species that live on south-facing roadcuts and have the ability to sprout do not necessarily germinate with germinating rates and speeds as high as species that colonise successfully these slopes but are unable to sprout. To test these hypotheses we compared water dynamics in the soil among roadslope types and aspects as well as the seed ability to germinate at low water potentials among species showing different regeneration strategies and establishment success on roadslopes. Soil water availability after rainfalls occurring during the germination period played a major role in the germination of seeds. The patterns of seed germination under water-stress conditions were consistent with the success of colonising species on roadslopes and with the distribution of adult plants in the roadslopes 8 years after these latter were built. We discuss the usefulness of these results for the improvement of revegetation projects in semiarid areas by means of an appropriate selection of species adapted to the local environmental conditions. We suggest that the ability of species to germinate under water stress could be an indication of a species' potential for success under semiarid conditions.

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Big Sacaton and Endophyte-Infected Arizona Fescue Germination under Water Stress

Cited by 28 publications

References 22 publications

Variable effects of endophytic fungus on seedling establishment of fine fescues

Variable effects of endophytic fungus on seedling establishment of fine fescues

Effects of cadmium stress on seed germination, seedling growth and antioxidative enzymes in Achnatherum inebrians plants infected with a Neotyphodium endophyte

Soil water availability effects on seed germination account for species segregation in semiarid roadslopes

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