Positive association between mycorrhiza and foliar endophytes in Poa bonariensis, a native grass

Abstract

The interaction between mycorrhiza and leaf endophytes (Neotyphodium sp.) was studied in three Poa bonariensis populations, a native grass, differing significantly in endophyte infection. The association between endophytes and mycorrhizal fungi colonisation was assessed by analysing plant roots collected from the field. We found that roots from endophyte-infected populations showed a significantly higher frequency of colonisation by mycorrhizal fungi and that soil parameters were not related to endophyte infection or mycorrhiza colonization. In addition, we did not observe significant differences in the number of AM propagules in soils of the three populations sites. We also report the simultaneous development of Paris-type and Arum-type mycorrhiza morphology within the same root systems of P. bonariensis. The co-occurrence of both colonisation types in one and the same root system found in the three populations, which differed in Neotyphodium infection, suggests that foliar endophytes do not determine AM morphology. The percentage of root length colonised by different types of fungal structures (coils, arbuscules, longitudinal hyphae and vesicles) showed significant and positive differences in arbuscular frequency associated with endophyte infection, whereas the much smaller amounts of vesicles and hyphal coils did not differ significantly.

Phosphate Solubilizing and Antifungal Activity of Root Endophyte Isolated from Shorea leprosula Miq. And Shoreal selanica (DC) Blume.

“…Soteras et al (2013) reported that higher colonization percentage of dark septate endophyte in root Polyepis australis decreasing the colonization of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi. Furthermore, this result relevant to the assumtion that the colonization of root and foliar endophytes also correlated with colonization of arbuscular mycorrhiza (Novas et al 2009;Eschen et al 2010). Therefore, we can generated that the colonization of root endophytes influenced plant-mycorrhiza.…”

Antagonism to Plant Pathogens by Epichloë Fungal Endophytes—A Review

“…and Poa spp.) [131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139][140]. Further complexities also exist with regard to species interactions [141,142].…”

Epichloë (formerly Neotyphodium) fungal endophytes increase adaptation of cool-season perennial grasses to environmental stresses

“…In agronomic grasses, i.e., tall fescue, and annual and perennial ryegrass, endophyte infection has been shown to inhibit colonization by AM fungi [133][134][135][136]. Similarly, beneficial effects of epichloid endophytes on the frequency of root colonization by AM fungi have been reported in several wild grasses from Argentina, i.e., Bromus setifolius [137] and Poa bonariensis [138]. The four-way interactions among grass hosts, epichloid endophytes, AM fungi, and herbivores may alter herbivory and herbivore population dynamics [139].…”