Epichloae endophytes of family Clavicipitaceae(comprising genera Epichloëand Neotyphodium)are fungal symbionts of Pooideae grasses.The associations formed,range from mutually beneficial to antagonistic and the na...Epichloae endophytes of family Clavicipitaceae(comprising genera Epichloëand Neotyphodium)are fungal symbionts of Pooideae grasses.The associations formed,range from mutually beneficial to antagonistic and the nature of this relationship is dependent upon the importance of vertical(via host seeds)versus horizontal(ascospore mediated)transmission of the fungus.These endophytes can enhance their hosts’survival through protection from abiotic and biotic stresses and can thus be utilized in an agricultural context.Animal-safe grass-endophyte associations that confer bio-protective properties for increased pasture persistence and productivity have been developed and commercialized.One of the crucial drivers underpinning the selection of epichloae strains for commercial development is endophyte derived bioactivity.The potential of next generation endophytes is determined by testing a number of attributes such as agronomic fitness,animal and food safety as well as compatibility with host plants of interest.Strategic research supports these activities by focusing on elucidating mechanisms of compatibility between host and fungal symbiont,as well as investigating other molecular drivers of symbiosis such as siderophore mediated iron-uptake,fungal signalling,fungal growth in host plants and fungal secondary metabolism.This review weaves together the different strands of multidisciplinary research aimed at ultimately exploiting epichloae endophytes for increased pasture performance.展开更多
Aims the leaves of almost all terrestrial plant species are colonized by endophytic fungi.compared to agronomic grasses,which usually harbor few endophytes,native grasses generally possess greater endophyte species di...Aims the leaves of almost all terrestrial plant species are colonized by endophytic fungi.compared to agronomic grasses,which usually harbor few endophytes,native grasses generally possess greater endophyte species diversity.Existing studies examining endophyte effects on natural grasses under competition normally considered the infection status(infected or uninfected),and rarely considered endophyte species.Methods We examined the effects of endophyte infection and of endophyte species on the interspecific competitive ability of a subdominant species,Achnatherum sibiricum,at two nitrogen levels(high ni-trogen and low nitrogen).Achnatherum sibiricum plants infected by two different species of endophyte(Epichloësibirica and E.gansuensis)and uninfected plants were grown in monoculture and binary mixtures with a dominant species,Stipa grandis(six individuals per species for monocultures and three+three in-dividuals of each species in mixtures).Shoot and root biomass,tiller number and total phenolic concentration were measured after 3 months.Moreover,the aggressivity index was calculated to compare the competitive ability of A.sibiricum relative to S.grandis.Important Findings Both E.gansuensis(Eg)-and E.sibirica(Es)-infected A.sibiricum plants showed a greater competitive ability than the uninfected plants under high nitrogen supply,while the opposite result oc-curred under low nitrogen supply.At high nitrogen levels,Eg plants had a higher tiller number and a greater shoot biomass in-hibitory effect on S.grandis than Es plants had when growing in mixture,while Es plants showed better root growth performance than Eg and uninfected plants under mixture conditions at all ni-trogen levels.A higher concentration of phenolic compounds in Eg plants than in Es plants might contribute to the higher inhibi-tory effect of Eg plants on competing plants.Our study indicates that the interaction between endophyte infection and nitrogen availability can alter the competitive ability of the host plant A.sibiricum but that these two endophyte species work in different ways,which may influence the coexistence of A.sibiricum with the dominant species.展开更多
基金the support and funding of PGG Wrightson Seeds for research pertaining to the development and selection of endophyte strains for commercialization.
文摘Epichloae endophytes of family Clavicipitaceae(comprising genera Epichloëand Neotyphodium)are fungal symbionts of Pooideae grasses.The associations formed,range from mutually beneficial to antagonistic and the nature of this relationship is dependent upon the importance of vertical(via host seeds)versus horizontal(ascospore mediated)transmission of the fungus.These endophytes can enhance their hosts’survival through protection from abiotic and biotic stresses and can thus be utilized in an agricultural context.Animal-safe grass-endophyte associations that confer bio-protective properties for increased pasture persistence and productivity have been developed and commercialized.One of the crucial drivers underpinning the selection of epichloae strains for commercial development is endophyte derived bioactivity.The potential of next generation endophytes is determined by testing a number of attributes such as agronomic fitness,animal and food safety as well as compatibility with host plants of interest.Strategic research supports these activities by focusing on elucidating mechanisms of compatibility between host and fungal symbiont,as well as investigating other molecular drivers of symbiosis such as siderophore mediated iron-uptake,fungal signalling,fungal growth in host plants and fungal secondary metabolism.This review weaves together the different strands of multidisciplinary research aimed at ultimately exploiting epichloae endophytes for increased pasture performance.
基金National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFC0500702)National Natural Science Foundation of China(31570433).
文摘Aims the leaves of almost all terrestrial plant species are colonized by endophytic fungi.compared to agronomic grasses,which usually harbor few endophytes,native grasses generally possess greater endophyte species diversity.Existing studies examining endophyte effects on natural grasses under competition normally considered the infection status(infected or uninfected),and rarely considered endophyte species.Methods We examined the effects of endophyte infection and of endophyte species on the interspecific competitive ability of a subdominant species,Achnatherum sibiricum,at two nitrogen levels(high ni-trogen and low nitrogen).Achnatherum sibiricum plants infected by two different species of endophyte(Epichloësibirica and E.gansuensis)and uninfected plants were grown in monoculture and binary mixtures with a dominant species,Stipa grandis(six individuals per species for monocultures and three+three in-dividuals of each species in mixtures).Shoot and root biomass,tiller number and total phenolic concentration were measured after 3 months.Moreover,the aggressivity index was calculated to compare the competitive ability of A.sibiricum relative to S.grandis.Important Findings Both E.gansuensis(Eg)-and E.sibirica(Es)-infected A.sibiricum plants showed a greater competitive ability than the uninfected plants under high nitrogen supply,while the opposite result oc-curred under low nitrogen supply.At high nitrogen levels,Eg plants had a higher tiller number and a greater shoot biomass in-hibitory effect on S.grandis than Es plants had when growing in mixture,while Es plants showed better root growth performance than Eg and uninfected plants under mixture conditions at all ni-trogen levels.A higher concentration of phenolic compounds in Eg plants than in Es plants might contribute to the higher inhibi-tory effect of Eg plants on competing plants.Our study indicates that the interaction between endophyte infection and nitrogen availability can alter the competitive ability of the host plant A.sibiricum but that these two endophyte species work in different ways,which may influence the coexistence of A.sibiricum with the dominant species.
