Knowing your neighbourhood-the effects of Epichloë endophytes on foliar fungal assemblages in perennial ryegrass in dependence of season and land-use intensity

PeerJ
Julia KönigJochen Krauss

Abstract

Epichloë endophytes associated with cool-season grass species can protect their hosts from herbivory and can suppress mycorrhizal colonization of the hosts' roots. However, little is known about whether or not Epichloë endophyte infection can also change the foliar fungal assemblages of the host. We tested 52 grassland study sites along a land-use intensity gradient in three study regions over two seasons (spring vs. summer) to determine whether Epichloë infection of the host grass Lolium perenne changes the fungal community structure in leaves. Foliar fungal communities were assessed by Next Generation Sequencing of the ITS rRNA gene region. Fungal community structure was strongly affected by study region and season in our study, while land-use intensity and infection with Epichloë endophytes had no significant effects. We conclude that effects on non-systemic endophytes resulting from land use practices and Epichloë infection reported in other studies were masked by local and seasonal variability in this study's grassland sites.

References

Oct 1, 1996·Theoretical Population Biology·Y Iwasa de Jong TJ
Oct 29, 2000·Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry·Q YueM D Richardson
Sep 21, 2004·Annual Review of Plant Biology·Christopher L SchardlMartin J Spiering
Jun 11, 2005·Current Opinion in Plant Biology·Christine B Müller, Jochen Krauss
Feb 8, 2006·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Karin NeubertStefan G R Wirsel
Sep 26, 2006·Ecology·Jeri Lynn ParrentRytas Vilgalys
May 16, 2008·Biometrical Journal. Biometrische Zeitschrift·Torsten HothornPeter Westfall
Feb 25, 2009·The New Phytologist·R J RodriguezR S Redman
Apr 13, 2010·Nature Methods·J Gregory CaporasoRob Knight
Apr 3, 2012·Current Opinion in Plant Biology·Aiko TanakaBarry Scott
Jul 10, 2012·Briefings in Bioinformatics·Weizhong LiJohn Wooley
Jan 25, 2014·Mycologia·Adrian LeuchtmannMariusz Tadych
Aug 26, 2015·The New Phytologist·Pierre-Yves DupontMurray P Cox
Dec 3, 2015·Environmental Microbiology·Teng YangHaiyan Chu
Apr 27, 2016·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Santiago SoliveresEric Allan
Aug 1, 2006·Plant Disease·Bruce B ClarkeDavid R Huff
Mar 1, 2001·The New Phytologist·Stefan G R WirselKurt Mendgen

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
Illumina sequencing

Software Mentioned

ADONIS
R Development Core Team
QIIME
nlme
PERMANOVA
FastX
GLHT
multcomp
R

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.