Specificity of Host‐Endophyte Association in Tall Fescue Populations from Sardinia, Italy

Abstract

alistic: the host provides the endophyte with shelter, nutrients, and an easy means of propagation; the fungus Tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea Schreb. var. arundinacea Schreb. improves its host survival through enhanced growth and (2n ϭ 6x ϭ 42)] breeding objectives are to exploit the natural variation fertility, better drought tolerance, increased resistance of the associated endophytic fungi and to select specific plant-fungus combinations that optimize the host fitness but do not cause detrimen-to pests and diseases, and a more efficient utilization of tal effects on grazing animals. This study investigated the presence soil nitrogen and phosphorus (Wilkinson and Schardl, of endophytes in 60 tall fescue natural populations from Sardinia, Italy; and short-conidia endophyte variants, the latter producing only about entiation, alkaloid pattern production, and conidia and 25% of the ergovaline produced by the former. A coevolutionary colony morphology, revealed remarkable morphologispecificity between the native Sardinian fescue germplasm and its cal and biochemical variation among isolates. They deassociated endophyte was suggested by the agreement between morscribed two new taxonomic groupings (FaTG ϭ Festuca phology of the host plant (distinct from germplasm originating in temperate environments) and morphological and biochemical charac-arundinacea Taxonomic Grouping) distinct from N. coeteristics of the harbored fungus.

Plant drought survival under climate change and strategies to improve perennial grasses. A review

“…Indeed, DNA sequence analysis grouped tall fescue into the southern ecotypes (originating from North Africa, Western Mediterranean, Iberia and southern Italy, bounded in the north by the Pyrenees and the Alps) and northern ecotypes originating from northern Europe into Iberia, Morocco and northern Italy (Craven et al 2005). Both tall fescue groups harbour the endophytes; however, the endophytes (designated FaTG-2 and FaTG-3) in some of the southern ecotypes of tall fescue (from southern Spain, Algeria and Sardinia) are genetically, biochemically and morphologically different from E. coenophiala (Christensen et al 1993;Clement et al 2000;Piano et al 2005). E. coenophiala is commonly found in northern tall fescue and in those tall fescue lineages introduced from northern Europe into North America, Australia and New Zealand (Craven et al 2009).…”

“…The infection frequency of native accessions of summer-dormant tall fescue is usually high (Clement et al 2001;Piano et al 2005;Pecetti et al 2007), suggesting an important ecological role similar to that in continental tall fescue ecotypes. In fact, some of the benefits of endophyte infection are similar for both fescue types, i.e.…”

Botryosphaeriaceae species overlap on four unrelated, native South African hosts

“…Unravelling the limits of the host ranges of these different species, most representing plant pathogens, and how local environments influence them, remains one of the intriguing questions for this group of fungi. (Piano et al 2005) and MrBaysen (italic) above 60 % are given at the nodes. The tree was rooted to Pseudofusicoccum stromaticum (CBS117448 and CBS117449).…”

Fungal grass endophytes and arthropod communities: lessons from plant defence theory and multitrophic interactions

“…Many infected grasses produce either no alkaloids at all, or alkaloids at only very low levels. Very few produce the high levels found in cultivated grass cultivars (Faeth, 2002and Piano et al, 2005. Finally, when more complex, natural communities are considered, the effects of endophytes and their alkaloids become much less predictable.…”