<em>Epichloë</em> Endophytes Shape the Foliar Endophytic Fungal Microbiome and Alter the Auxin and Salicylic Acid Phytohormone Levels in Two Meadow Fescue Cultivars

Abstract

Plants harbor a large diversity of endophytic microbes. Meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) is a cool-season grass known for its symbiotic relationship to the systemic and vertically- via seeds - transmitted fungal endophyte Epichlo&amp;euml; uncinata but the effect of the endophyte on the microbial endophyte community and phytohormones is largely unexplored. Here, we sequenced the endophytic bacterial and fungal communities in the leaves and roots, analyzed phytohormone concentrations and plant performance parameters in Epichlo&amp;euml;-symbiotic (E+) and Epichlo&amp;euml;-free (E-) individuals of two meadow fescue cultivars. The endophytic leaf microbial community differed between leaf and root tissues independent of endophyte symbiosis while the fungal community was different in leaves of Epichlo&amp;euml;-symbiotic and Epichlo&amp;euml;-free plants in both cultivars. At the same time, endophyte symbiosis decreased salicylic acid and increased auxin concentrations in leaves. Epichlo&amp;euml;-symbiotic plants showed a higher biomass, chlorophyll content (SPAD) and higher seed mass at the end of the season. Our results demonstrate that Epichlo&amp;euml;-symbiosis alters the leaf fungal microbiome, which coincides with changes in phytohormone concentrations, indicating that Epichlo&amp;euml; endophytes affect both, plant immune responses and other fungal endophytes. Whether the effect of Epichlo&amp;euml; endophytes on other fungal endophytes is connected to changes in the phytohormone concentrations remains to be elucidated.