Fungal endophytes in grasses from semi‐arid permanent grasslands of western Spain

Zabalgogeazcoa, Íñigo; Aldana, Beatriz R. Vázquez de; Ciudad, Antonia García; Criado, Balbino García

doi:10.1046/j.1365-2494.2003.00352.x

“…The goal of our study was to examine the abundance, diversity, local distributions, and host affiliations of endophytes in leaves and stems of representative woody plants in the Sonoran Desert, North America's hottest and most species-rich desert biome [71]. The resulting data set complements a growing body of work on root- and shoot-associated endophytes of grasses and other common plants in deserts and grasslands [1, 15-18, 31, 34, 47, 48, 50, 52-55, 59, 67-69, 82, 83, 92], providing insights into the factors shaping endophyte ecology and plant-fungal associations in diverse arid- and semi-arid lands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, root-symbiotic fungi such as mycorrhizae and dark-septate endophytes have received increasing attention from biologists in arid lands [1, 15, 18, 31, 34, 47, 48, 52, 53, 55, 59, 67, 68, 92]. Such work has greatly enhanced our understanding of the geographic-, host-, and tissue-affiliations of fungi that are symbiotic with ecologically important plants in semi-arid grasslands and deserts, especially grasses and sedges [34, 47], gypsophilous plants [69], and selected dicotyledonous plants such as Atriplex spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungal Endophytes in Aboveground Tissues of Desert Plants: Infrequent in Culture, but Highly Diverse and Distinctive Symbionts

Massimo

¹

,

Devan

²

,

Arendt

³

et al. 2015

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In hot deserts, plants cope with aridity, high temperatures, and nutrient-poor soils with morphological and biochemical adaptations that encompass intimate microbial symbioses. Whereas the root microbiomes of arid-land plants have received increasing attention, factors influencing assemblages of symbionts in above-ground tissues have not been evaluated for many woody plants that flourish in desert environments. We evaluated the diversity, host affiliations, and distributions of endophytic fungi associated with photosynthetic tissues of desert trees and shrubs, focusing on non-succulent woody plants in the species-rich Sonoran Desert. To inform our strength of inference, we evaluated the effects of two different nutrient media, incubation temperatures, and collection seasons on the apparent structure of endophyte assemblages. Analysis of >22,000 tissue segments revealed that endophytes were isolated four times more frequently from photosynthetic stems than leaves. Isolation frequency was lower than expected given the latitude of the study region, and varied among species a function of sampling site and abiotic factors. However, endophytes were very species-rich and phylogenetically diverse, consistent with less-arid sites of a similar latitudinal position. Community composition differed among host species, but not as a function of tissue type, sampling site, sampling month, or exposure. Estimates of abundance, diversity and composition were not influenced by isolation medium or incubation temperature. Phylogenetic analyses of the most commonly isolated genus (Preussia) revealed multiple evolutionary origins of desert-plant endophytism and little phylogenetic structure with regard to seasonality, tissue preference, or optimal temperatures and nutrients for growth in vitro. Together, these results provide insight into endophytic symbioses in desert plant communities, and can be used to optimize strategies for capturing endophyte biodiversity at regional scales.

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“…Lewis et al (1997) and Leyronas and Raynal (2001) reported a general tendency for endophyte‐infected grasses in Europe to be most prevalent in regions prone to drought. Zabalgogeazcoa et al (1999, 2003) reported high rates of infection in F. rubra in dehesa habitat in western Spain, where water deficit is severe in the summer. Saha et al (1987) reported that infection improved persistence and quality of F. rubra turf during drought.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broad‐scale geographic patterns in the distribution of vertically‐transmitted, asexual endophytes in four naturally‐occurring grasses in Sweden

Bazely¹,

Ball²,

Vicari³

et al. 2007

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The presence and distribution of vertically-transmitted, asexual Neotyphodium/Epichloë endophytes in four species of widely distributed grasses, all members of the sub-family Pooideae, were determined at 57 spatiallydistinct sites across Sweden in naturally-occurring grass populations. While these endophytes are well-studied in agricultural systems, much less is known about their abundance and distribution in non-agricultural systems at larger scales across landscapes. We used two screening methods to detect endophytes: 1) visual inspection of fixed, stained grass shoots, and 2) immunoblot cards with monoclonal antibodies specific for Neotyphodium / Epichloë endophytes. Infection frequency (i.e. the proportion of individuals) varied widely among species and among sites, a finding common to most studies performed in non-agricultural ecosystems. Festuca rubra had the highest overall infection frequency (23% visual screening, 27% immunoblot screening), while Deschampsia flexuosa (4%) and Poa trivialis (4%) had low frequencies of infection. None of the sampled Agrostis capillaris populations were infected. In F. rubra , the within-site infection frequency varied from 0 to 100%. A significant altitudinal gradient was found for F. rubra , with the infection frequency of the vertically-transmitted endophyte Epichloë festucae decreasing with increasing altitude above sea level. The high variation across and within grass species at different geographical locations that ours and others' studies reveal, agree with suggestions that agronomic model systems cannot be readily extrapolated to understand the ecological role of endophytes in native grasses in the wild. Further investigation into the underlying cause of the observed altitudinal gradient is required to understand broader-scale patterns in the distribution of endophyte-infected grasses.

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“…Lewis et al (1997) and Leyronas and Raynal (2001) reported a general tendency for endophyte-infected grasses in Europe to be most prevalent in regions prone to drought. Zabalgogeazcoa et al (1999Zabalgogeazcoa et al ( , 2003 reported high rates of infection in F. rubra in dehesa habitat in western Spain, where water deficit is severe in the summer. Saha et al (1987) reported that infection improved persistence and quality of F. rubra turf during drought.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broad-scale geographic patterns in the distribution of vertically-transmitted, asexual endophytes in four naturally-occurring grasses in Sweden

Bazely¹,

Ball²,

Vicari³

et al. 2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The presence and distribution of vertically-transmitted, asexual Neotyphodium/Epichloë endophytes in four species of widely distributed grasses, all members of the sub-family Pooideae, were determined at 57 spatiallydistinct sites across Sweden in naturally-occurring grass populations. While these endophytes are well-studied in agricultural systems, much less is known about their abundance and distribution in non-agricultural systems at larger scales across landscapes. We used two screening methods to detect endophytes: 1) visual inspection of fixed, stained grass shoots, and 2) immunoblot cards with monoclonal antibodies specific for Neotyphodium / Epichloë endophytes. Infection frequency (i.e. the proportion of individuals) varied widely among species and among sites, a finding common to most studies performed in non-agricultural ecosystems. Festuca rubra had the highest overall infection frequency (23% visual screening, 27% immunoblot screening), while Deschampsia flexuosa (4%) and Poa trivialis (4%) had low frequencies of infection. None of the sampled Agrostis capillaris populations were infected. In F. rubra , the within-site infection frequency varied from 0 to 100%. A significant altitudinal gradient was found for F. rubra , with the infection frequency of the vertically-transmitted endophyte Epichloë festucae decreasing with increasing altitude above sea level. The high variation across and within grass species at different geographical locations that ours and others' studies reveal, agree with suggestions that agronomic model systems cannot be readily extrapolated to understand the ecological role of endophytes in native grasses in the wild. Further investigation into the underlying cause of the observed altitudinal gradient is required to understand broader-scale patterns in the distribution of endophyte-infected grasses.

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Fungal endophytes in grasses from semi‐arid permanent grasslands of western Spain

Cited by 25 publications

References 11 publications

Fungal Endophytes in Aboveground Tissues of Desert Plants: Infrequent in Culture, but Highly Diverse and Distinctive Symbionts

Fungal Endophytes in Aboveground Tissues of Desert Plants: Infrequent in Culture, but Highly Diverse and Distinctive Symbionts

Broad‐scale geographic patterns in the distribution of vertically‐transmitted, asexual endophytes in four naturally‐occurring grasses in Sweden

Broad-scale geographic patterns in the distribution of vertically-transmitted, asexual endophytes in four naturally-occurring grasses in Sweden

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