Journal
NEW PHYTOLOGIST
Volume 221, Issue 4, Pages 2239-2249Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/nph.15504
Keywords
Ascomycota; drought; foliar; Panicum virgatum (switchgrass); symbiosis
Categories
Funding
- Texas Ecolab program
- University of Texas Green Fee
- University of Texas Plant Biology Graduate program
Ask authors/readers for more resources
All terrestrial plants are colonized by foliar endophytic fungi that can affect plant growth and physiology, but the prediction of these effects on the plant host remains a challenge. Here, we examined three paradigms that potentially control how endophytes affect plant hosts: habitat adaptation, evolutionary history and functional traits. We screened 35 plant-endophyte pairings in a microcosm experiment under well-watered and drought conditions with Panicum virgatum as the host. We related the measured plant responses to fungal phylogenetic relatedness, characteristics of fungal habitats across a rainfall gradient and functional traits of the fungi related to stress tolerance and resource use. The functional traits and habitat characteristics of the fungi predicted 26-53% of endophyte-mediated effects on measures of plant growth, physiology and survival. Overall, survival was higher for plants grown with more stress-tolerant fungi, and aboveground biomass was enhanced by fungi from warmer and drier habitats. Plant growth and physiology were also dependent on fungal resource use indicators; however, specific predictors were dependent on water availability. Simple ecological traits of foliar endophytic fungi observed in culture can translate to symbiotic lifestyles. These findings offer new insights and key testable predictions for likely pathways by which endophytes benefit the plant host.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available