Vertically transmitted symbionts as mechanisms of transgenerational effects

Gundel, Pedro E.; Rudgers, Jennifer A.; Whitney, Kenneth D.

doi:10.3732/ajb.1700036

Cited by 48 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…By joining host grass life cycle, fungal endophytes multiply and disperse through the seed (Gundel et al, 2011a). Thus, seeds are a crucial structure to protect (Gundel et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seeds are critical to the grass-endophyte symbiosis as fungus carriers from one generation to the next (Gundel et al, 2011a(Gundel et al, , 2017. The seed is the plant structure with the greatest fungus/plant biomass ratio which stores fungal alkaloids (TePaske et al, 1993;Justus et al, 1997;Vázquez-de-Aldana et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The profile and concentration of alkaloids varies greatly responding to factors such as species identities, plant tissue/stage, and growth conditions (Bush et al, 1997;Faeth et al, 2002;Rasmussen et al, 2007;Mace et al, 2014). Production of alkaloids can be triggered by herbivory (Sullivan et al, 2007;Fuchs et al, 2017a), although it remains unknown whether alkaloids accumulate in seeds as a consequence (Gundel et al, 2017). Endophyte presence in seeds is deemed to deter granivorous animals (Uchitel et al, 2011), an effect that may be extended to protect seedlings from herbivores (Stewart, 1985;Czarnoleski et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Occurrence of Alkaloids in Grass Seeds Symbiotic With Vertically-Transmitted Epichloë Fungal Endophytes and Its Relationship With Antioxidants

et al. 2018

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Host organisms can acquire new functional traits through symbiosis. Seed-transmitted Epichloë fungal endophytes are known to protect host plants against herbivores and increase tolerance to abiotic stresses by alkaloids and antioxidants, respectively (currencies of mutualism). Whereas, alkaloids are fungal products with demonstrated effects at plant vegetative stage, few studies have focused on alkaloids in seeds. We assessed the occurrence of fungal alkaloids and determined their concentrations in seeds of two host grasses, Festuca rubra and Lolium multiflorum. Then, we sought for a relationship with the antioxidants tocochromanols and glutathione, which are involved in the control of oxidative stress. Different alkaloids were detected depending on the species and plant genotype. Most notably, loline alkaloids were not detected in F. rubra seeds, whereas ergovaline and peramine were absent in L. multiflorum. In F. rubra, ergovaline concentration was dependent on the maternal line in interaction with the production year, diminishing in seeds after 1 year of storage. The exposure of L. multiflorum plants to ozone had no effect on the seed concentration of lolines. There was a significant positive relationship between the concentrations of ergovaline and tocochromanols in both species, and between ergovaline concentration and E GSSG/2GSH (glutathione halfcell reduction potential) in RAB maternal line of F. rubra. These results suggest that alkaloid and antioxidants have a close association in seeds of host grasses, and that the alkaloid bioactivity could be related with the antioxidant capacity to control stress. This has important implications for the ecology of partner species, thus supporting its consideration for further research.

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“…By joining host grass life cycle, fungal endophytes multiply and disperse through the seed (Gundel et al, 2011a). Thus, seeds are a crucial structure to protect (Gundel et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Occurrence of Alkaloids in Grass Seeds Symbiotic With Vertically-Transmitted Epichloë Fungal Endophytes and Its Relationship With Antioxidants

et al. 2018

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“…A combination of germination experiments in controlled conditions (e.g. Leroy et al , 2019), seed microbiome analyses in common gardens (Vivas et al , 2015), and seed microorganisms manipulation across environments (Gundel et al , 2017) will be required to integrate seed microbial ecology into predictive models of forest dynamics and evolution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal effects and environmental filtering shape seed fungal communities in oak trees

Fort

Pauvert

Zanne

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Trees, as foundation species, play a pivotal role in the species interaction networks that constitute forest ecosystems. From the seed stage, they interact with microbial communities that affect their growth, health and fitness. Despite their eco-evolutionary importance, the processes shaping seed microbial communities in natural forests have received little attention.• To unravel these processes, we analyzed the microbial communities of seeds collected in populations of sessile oak (Quercus petraea) growing along elevation gradients. We focused on the fungal communities as this group includes seed pathogens. Ecological processes shaping the communities were quantified using joint species distribution models.• Fungi were present in all seed tissues, including the embryo. Fungal communities differed significantly among oak populations along the elevation gradients, and among mother trees within the same population. These maternal effects remained significant after seed fall, despite colonization by fungal species on the ground. Associations between tree pathogens and their antagonists were detected in the seeds.• Our results demonstrate that both maternal effects and environmental filtering shape seed microbial communities of sessile oak. They provide a starting point for future research aimed at identifying the seed extended phenotypic traits that influence seed dispersal and germination, and seedling survival and growth across environments.

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“…Shuffling and switching of symbionts (secondary acquisition and replacement, respectively) are both prevalent in insects [53], and the acquisition of particular symbionts during temperature stress have been shown to provide protective benefits to the holobiont [54]. Furthermore, symbiont-mediated transgenerational effects have been reported to play a role in immune priming in insects [55] and may be common in plants [56]. Finally, variation in Symbiodinium community composition in coral early life-history stages may serve no functional role in vertical transmitters under non-bleaching conditions (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transgenerational inheritance of shuffled symbiont communities in the coral Montipora digitata

Quigley

Willis

Kenkel

2018

Preprint

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Adult organisms may “prime” their offspring for environmental change through a number of genetic and non-genetic mechanisms, termed parental effects. Some coral species can alter their thermal tolerance by shuffling the proportions of Symbiodinium types within their endosymbiotic communities, but it is unclear if this plasticity can be transferred to offspring in corals that have maternal symbiont transmission. We evaluated symbiont community composition in tagged colonies of Montipora digitata from Orpheus Island, Australia, over two successive annual spawning seasons, the second of which overlapped with the 2016 mass coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef. We applied amplicon sequencing of the ITS2 locus to samples of four families (parent colonies and 10-12 eggs per family) to characterize their potential for symbiont shuffling and to determine if shuffled abundances were preserved in gametes. Symbiont cell densities and photochemical efficiencies of the symbionts’ photosystem II differed significantly among adults in 2016, suggesting differential responses to increased temperatures. Although abundances of the dominant symbiont haplotype, a representative of clade C15, did not differ among families or over time, low-abundance (“background”) ITS2 types differed more among years (2015 vs. 2016) than between life stages (parent vs. offspring). Results indicate that background symbiont shuffling can occur in a canonically ‘stable’ symbiosis, and that such plastic changes to the symbiont community are heritable. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that shuffled Symbiodinium communities can be inherited by early life-history stages and supports the hypothesis that plastic changes in microbial communities may serve as a mechanism of rapid coral acclimation to changing environmental conditions.

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Vertically transmitted symbionts as mechanisms of transgenerational effects

Cited by 48 publications

References 88 publications

Occurrence of Alkaloids in Grass Seeds Symbiotic With Vertically-Transmitted Epichloë Fungal Endophytes and Its Relationship With Antioxidants

Occurrence of Alkaloids in Grass Seeds Symbiotic With Vertically-Transmitted Epichloë Fungal Endophytes and Its Relationship With Antioxidants

Maternal effects and environmental filtering shape seed fungal communities in oak trees

Transgenerational inheritance of shuffled symbiont communities in the coral Montipora digitata

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