Endophytic Fungal Community of Stellera chamaejasme L. and Its Possible Role in Improving Host Plants’ Ecological Flexibility in Degraded Grasslands

Abstract

Stellera chamaejasme L. is a widely distributed poisonous plant in Chinese degraded grasslands. To investigate the role of endophytic fungi (EF) in S. chamaejasme’s quick spread in grasslands, the endophytic fungal community of S. chamaejasme was studied through culture-dependent and culture-independent methods, and the plant-growth-promoting (PGP) traits of some culturable isolates were tested. Further, the growth-promoting effects of 8 isolates which showed better PGP traits were evaluated by pot experiments. The results showed that a total of 546 culturable EF were isolated from 1114 plant tissue segments, and the colonization rate (CR) of EF in roots (33.27%) was significantly higher than that in shoots (22.39%). Consistent with this, the number of specific types of EF was greater in roots (8 genera) than in shoots (1 genus). The same phenomenon was found in culture-independent study. There were 95 specific genera found in roots, while only 18 specific genera were found in shoots. In addition, the dominant EF were different between the two study methods. Cladosporium (18.13%) and Penicillium (15.93%) were the dominant EF in culture-dependent study, while Apiotrichum (13.21%) and Athelopsis (5.62%) were the dominant EF in culture-independent study. PGP trait tests indicated that 91.30% of the tested isolates (69) showed phosphorus solubilization, IAA production, or siderophores production activity. The benefit of 8 isolates on host plants’ growth was further studied by pot experiments, and the results indicated that all of the isolates can improve host plants’ growth. Among them, STL3G74 (Aspergillus niger) showed the best growth-promotion effect; it can increase the plant’s shoot and root dry biomass by 68.44% and 74.50%, respectively, when compared with the controls. Our findings revealed that S. chamaejasme has a wide range of fungal endophytic assemblages, and most of them possess PGP activities, which may play a key role in its quick spread in degraded grasslands.

Unraveling the role of contaminants reshaping the microflora in Zea mays seeds from heavy metal-contaminated and pristine environment

“…HM may have caused selected pressures that enriched numerous microbial species able to adapt to challenging environmental conditions. Tang, Gong [21] also indicated that the soil's HM contamination levels in uence the diversity and tolerance of endophytic fungi associated with hyperaccumulators like Dysphania ambrosioides. These results are consistent with work by Noman, Ahmed [22], which found that more microbial diversity was related to higher plant health and resilience.…”

High-throughput sequencing-based analysis of the composition and diversity of the endophyte community in roots of Stellera chamaejasme

“…grow and protect plants against pathogenic bacteria 58 , suggesting that Pseudomonas species, which are dominant in S. chamaejasme , may play an important role in S. chamaejasme growth and disease resistance, thereby enhancing its ability to compete for habitat. Tang et al 59 isolated Aspergillus by studying the endophytic fungus of S. chamaejasme and found that it could significantly increase the biomass of S. chamaejasme . These dominant microbiota found in the roots of S. chamaejasme may promote its growth and stress resistance, which can provide reference for the subsequent development of related biofertilizers and the prevention and control of S. chamaejasme .…”

Endosphere microbial communities and plant nutrient acquisition toward sustainable agriculture

“…Endophytic fungi can also contribute to nutrient acquisition in plants. For example, some endophytic fungi can solubilize phosphorus, making it available to the host plant [ 33 ]. Other fungi can produce enzymes that break down complex organic compounds, releasing nutrients that the plant can take up.…”