Roles of leaf functional traits in fungal endophyte colonization: Potential implications for host–pathogen interactions

González‐Teuber, Marcia; Palma-Onetto, Valeria; Sammaritano, Juan Aguilera; Mithöfer, Axel

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13678

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 143 publications

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“…Young leaves differ fundamentally from older ones with regard to general leaf traits, such as nutrients and chemistry ( 41 – 43 ). Leaf traits ( 26 , 47 ), environmental variables (i.e., climate), and changes in the local inoculum pool, combined with the host plant filtering, are fundamental drivers of leaf-associated communities ( 25 , 34 , 39 , 48 , 49 ), underlying the observed differences. Herbivory damage, which changes throughout the season, may also contribute to the seasonal shifts in leaf microbiota ( 50 – 52 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In forest trees, leaf microbiomes are affected by dispersal from local species pools, as well as filtering by the environment and host plant, where morphology and chemistry play important roles ( 23 – 26 ). Consequently, there is substantial temporal variation in microbiome richness and composition ( 27 , 28 ), likely as a result of a combination of leaf senescence and microbial community succession, along with the changes in the environment and aerial microbial pool ( 27 , 29 – 31 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal Shifts in Bacterial and Fungal Microbiomes of Leaves and Associated Leaf-Mining Larvae Reveal Persistence of Core Taxa Regardless of Diet

et al. 2023

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Shifts in Bacterial and Fungal Microbiomes of Leaves and Associated Leaf-Mining Larvae Reveal Persistence of Core Taxa Regardless of Diet

et al. 2023

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“…Recent studies provide evidence that leaf traits or plant phylogeny can influence the assembly of certain fungal guilds (Kembel and Mueller 2014, González‐Teuber et al 2021). We hypothesised that the contrasting ecological relationships between plants and each fungal guild should imply that each guild would respond to different sets of functional traits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Phylogenetically closer plant species share more similar pathogenic fungal communities (Gilbert and Webb 2007). It has also been reported that these communities depend on the host phenotype (Kembel and Mueller 2014, González‐Teuber et al 2021). For instance, Kembel and Muller (2014) showed that epiphytic fungal community composition depends on leaf nutrient content and leaf mass per area in tropical systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Biotic filters driving the differentiation of decomposer, epiphytic and pathogenic phyllosphere fungi across plant species

Pajares‐Murgó

Garrido

Perea

et al. 2022

Oikos

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The phyllosphere is a wide and complex ecosystem that provides a key support for microbial diversity. Fungal communities inhabiting the leaf are functionally variable and play important roles on plant performance. Factors conditioning the arrival and colonization of fungal communities will determine the phyllosphere fungal composition. Plant identity, leaf functional traits and host plant phylogeny have been shown to be regulators of the microbial colonization of the leaves, and can be considered as biotic filters determining the assembly of phyllosphere fungal communities. By high‐throughput sequencing we analysed the phyllosphere fungal communities from 38 Mediterranean woody plant species in two forests of south‐eastern Iberian Peninsula. We analysed the effect of plant species and site on fungal community composition. We also tested the effect of leaf functional traits and plant phylogeny on plant species differences in their fungal communities, and on the structure of the plant–fungus interaction network. Plant species account for a larger proportion than site in the variability of the composition of phyllosphere fungal communities. Leaf traits and host phylogeny influence the arrival and colonization of phyllosphere fungal communities across plant species. Plants with pubescent leaves and phylogenetically closer harbour more similar communities of decomposers, pathogens and epiphytes. Leaf habit (i.e. evergreen versus deciduous) also influences the community composition of decomposer and epiphytic fungi. Leaf carbon, leaf water content and leaf mass per area affect differentially each functional guild. Plant–fungus interaction networks present a modular structure in which plants belonging to the same module share more fungal species and are phylogenetically closer. We provide evidence that even though phyllosphere fungal communities are complex ecosystems, fungi with contrasting relationships with the plant (decomposers, epiphytes and pathogens) respond similarly to a common subset of leaf traits that impose physical limitations to the assembly of phyllosphere fungal communities.

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“…On the other end of the LES plant species that produce short-lived leaves with a low LMA, a low investment in mechanical and structural defenses, and high N content ( Coley and Barone, 1996 ; Wright et al, 2004 ; Donovan et al, 2011 ; Osnas et al, 2018 ). Previous studies have linked leaf traits to fungal endophytes in temperate habitats ( Saunders et al, 2010 ; González-Teuber et al, 2020 , 2021 ; Oono et al, 2020 ), but more research is needed to understand patterns in diverse, tropical forests (e.g., Tellez et al, 2020 ). In tropical forests, closely related tree species near different ends of the LES often co-occur (e.g., Wright et al, 2004 ), providing an opportunity to examine the contribution of leaf traits to differences in endophyte assemblages and functional traits at the plant community level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traits along the leaf economics spectrum are associated with communities of foliar endophytic symbionts

et al. 2022

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Leaf traits of plants worldwide are classified according to the Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES), which links leaf functional traits to evolutionary life history strategies. As a continuum ranging from thicker, tough leaves that are low in nitrogen (N) to thinner, softer, leaves that are high in N, the LES brings together physical, chemical, and ecological traits. Fungal endophytes are common foliar symbionts that occur in healthy, living leaves, especially in tropical forests. Their community composition often differs among co-occurring host species in ways that cannot be explained by environmental conditions or host phylogenetic relationships. Here, we tested the over-arching hypothesis that LES traits act as habitat filters that shape communities of endophytes both in terms of composition, and in terms of selecting for endophytes with particular suites of functional traits. We used culture-based and culture-free surveys to characterize foliar endophytes in mature leaves of 30 phylogenetically diverse plant species with divergent LES traits in lowland Panama, and then measured functional traits of dominant endophyte taxa in vitro. Endophytes were less abundant and less diverse in thick, tough, leaves compared to thin, softer, leaves in the same forest, even in closely related plants. Endophyte communities differed according to leaf traits, including leaf punch strength and carbon and nitrogen content. The most common endophyte taxa in leaves at different ends of the LES differ in their cellulase, protease, chitinase, and antipathogen activity. Our results extend the LES framework for the first time to diverse and ecologically important endophytes, opening new hypotheses regarding the degree to which foliar symbionts respond to, and extend, the functional traits of leaves they inhabit.

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Roles of leaf functional traits in fungal endophyte colonization: Potential implications for host–pathogen interactions

Cited by 13 publications

References 143 publications

Seasonal Shifts in Bacterial and Fungal Microbiomes of Leaves and Associated Leaf-Mining Larvae Reveal Persistence of Core Taxa Regardless of Diet

Seasonal Shifts in Bacterial and Fungal Microbiomes of Leaves and Associated Leaf-Mining Larvae Reveal Persistence of Core Taxa Regardless of Diet

Biotic filters driving the differentiation of decomposer, epiphytic and pathogenic phyllosphere fungi across plant species

Traits along the leaf economics spectrum are associated with communities of foliar endophytic symbionts

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