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Majid M, Wani AH, Ganai BA. Evaluating the Biocontrol Efficacy and Antioxidant Potential of Phellinus caribaeo-quercicola-A First Report Dual-Action Endophyte From Inula racemosa Hook. F. J Basic Microbiol 2024:e2400080. [PMID: 39031570 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.202400080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Phellinus caribaeo-quercicola is a basidiomycetous fungus, isolated as an endophyte in this study from the healthy and symptomless leaves of Inula racemosa Hook. f., an important medicinal herb growing in Kashmir Himalaya. This study combines morphological, molecular and phylogenetic techniques to identify the fungal endophyte, using the ITS sequence of nrDNA. A detached leaf assay was conducted to assess the pathogenicity of the fungal endophyte suggesting its mutually symbiotic relationship with the host. The authors also investigated the antifungal potential of the isolated endophytic strain to ascertain its use as a biocontrol agent. The study shows that P. caribaeo-quercicola INL3-2 strain exhibits biocontrol activity against four key fungal phytopathogens that cause significant agronomic and economic losses: Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium solani, and Fusarium oxysporum. Notably, P. caribaeo-quercicola INL3-2 strain is highly effective against A. flavus, with an inhibition percentage of 57.63%. In addition, this study investigates the antioxidant activity of P. caribaeo-quercicola INL3-2 strain crude extracts using ethyl acetate and methanol as solvents. The results showed that the methanolic fraction of P. caribaeo-quercicola exhibits potential as an antioxidant agent, with an IC50 value of 171.90 ± 1.15 µg/mL. This investigation is first of its kind and marks the initial report of this fungal basidiomycete, P. caribaeo-quercicola, as an endophyte associated with a medicinal plant. The findings of this study highlight the potential of P. caribaeo-quercicola INL3-2 strain as a dual-action agent with both biocontrol and antioxidant properties consistent with the medicinal properties of Inula racemosa. This endophytic fungus could be a promising source of natural compounds for use in agriculture, medicine, and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misbah Majid
- Section of Plant Pathology, Mycology and Microbiology Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Abdul H Wani
- Section of Plant Pathology, Mycology and Microbiology Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Bashir A Ganai
- Center of Research for Development, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
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2
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Dong X, Jiang F, Duan D, Tian Z, Liu H, Zhang Y, Hou F, Nan Z, Chen T. Contrasting Effects of Grazing in Shaping the Seasonal Trajectory of Foliar Fungal Endophyte Communities on Two Semiarid Grassland Species. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:1016. [PMID: 37888272 PMCID: PMC10608051 DOI: 10.3390/jof9101016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungal endophytes are harboured in the leaves of every individual plant host and contribute to plant health, leaf senescence, and early decomposition. In grasslands, fungal endophytes and their hosts often coexist with large herbivores. However, the influence of grazing by large herbivores on foliar fungal endophyte communities remains largely unexplored. We conducted a long-term (18 yr) grazing experiment to explore the effects of grazing on the community composition and diversity of the foliar fungal endophytes of two perennial grassland species (i.e., Artemisia capillaris and Stipa bungeana) across one growing season. Grazing significantly increased the mean fungal alpha diversity of A. capillaris in the early season. In contrast, grazing significantly reduced the mean fungal alpha diversity of endophytic fungi of S. bungeana in the late season. Grazing, growing season, and their interactions concurrently structured the community composition of the foliar fungal endophytes of both plant species. However, growing season consistently outperformed grazing and environmental factors in shaping the community composition and diversity of both plant species. Overall, our findings demonstrate that the foliar endophytic fungal community diversity and composition differed in response to grazing between A. capillaris and S. bungeana during one growing season. The focus on this difference will enhance our understanding of grazing's impact on ecological systems and improve land management practices in grazing regions. This variation in the effects of leaf nutrients and plant community characteristics on foliar endophytic fungal community diversity and composition may have a pronounced impact on plant health and plant-fungal interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (X.D.); (F.J.); (D.D.); (Z.T.); (H.L.); (Y.Z.); (F.H.); (Z.N.)
| | - Feifei Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (X.D.); (F.J.); (D.D.); (Z.T.); (H.L.); (Y.Z.); (F.H.); (Z.N.)
| | - Dongdong Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (X.D.); (F.J.); (D.D.); (Z.T.); (H.L.); (Y.Z.); (F.H.); (Z.N.)
- Sichuan Zoige Alpine Wetland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Zhen Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (X.D.); (F.J.); (D.D.); (Z.T.); (H.L.); (Y.Z.); (F.H.); (Z.N.)
| | - Huining Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (X.D.); (F.J.); (D.D.); (Z.T.); (H.L.); (Y.Z.); (F.H.); (Z.N.)
| | - Yinan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (X.D.); (F.J.); (D.D.); (Z.T.); (H.L.); (Y.Z.); (F.H.); (Z.N.)
| | - Fujiang Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (X.D.); (F.J.); (D.D.); (Z.T.); (H.L.); (Y.Z.); (F.H.); (Z.N.)
| | - Zhibiao Nan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (X.D.); (F.J.); (D.D.); (Z.T.); (H.L.); (Y.Z.); (F.H.); (Z.N.)
| | - Tao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (X.D.); (F.J.); (D.D.); (Z.T.); (H.L.); (Y.Z.); (F.H.); (Z.N.)
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3
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Ndinga-Muniania C, Wornson N, Fulcher MR, Borer ET, Seabloom EW, Kinkel L, May G. Cryptic functional diversity within a grass mycobiome. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287990. [PMID: 37471328 PMCID: PMC10358963 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic hosts harbor tremendously diverse microbiomes that affect host fitness and response to environmental challenges. Fungal endophytes are prominent members of plant microbiomes, but we lack information on the diversity in functional traits affecting their interactions with their host and environment. We used two culturing approaches to isolate fungal endophytes associated with the widespread, dominant prairie grass Andropogon gerardii and characterized their taxonomic diversity using rDNA barcode sequencing. A randomly chosen subset of fungi representing the diversity of each leaf was then evaluated for their use of different carbon compound resources and growth on those resources. Applying community phylogenetic analyses, we discovered that these fungal endophyte communities are comprised of phylogenetically distinct assemblages of slow- and fast-growing fungi that differ in their use and growth on differing carbon substrates. Our results demonstrate previously undescribed and cryptic functional diversity in carbon resource use and growth in fungal endophyte communities of A. gerardii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Ndinga-Muniania
- Plant and Microbial Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Nicholas Wornson
- School of Statistics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Michael R Fulcher
- Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Linda Kinkel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Georgiana May
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
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Seabloom EW, Caldeira MC, Davies KF, Kinkel L, Knops JMH, Komatsu KJ, MacDougall AS, May G, Millican M, Moore JL, Perez LI, Porath-Krause AJ, Power SA, Prober SM, Risch AC, Stevens C, Borer ET. Globally consistent response of plant microbiome diversity across hosts and continents to soil nutrients and herbivores. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3516. [PMID: 37316485 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39179-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
All multicellular organisms host a diverse microbiome composed of microbial pathogens, mutualists, and commensals, and changes in microbiome diversity or composition can alter host fitness and function. Nonetheless, we lack a general understanding of the drivers of microbiome diversity, in part because it is regulated by concurrent processes spanning scales from global to local. Global-scale environmental gradients can determine variation in microbiome diversity among sites, however an individual host's microbiome also may reflect its local micro-environment. We fill this knowledge gap by experimentally manipulating two potential mediators of plant microbiome diversity (soil nutrient supply and herbivore density) at 23 grassland sites spanning global-scale gradients in soil nutrients, climate, and plant biomass. Here we show that leaf-scale microbiome diversity in unmanipulated plots depended on the total microbiome diversity at each site, which was highest at sites with high soil nutrients and plant biomass. We also found that experimentally adding soil nutrients and excluding herbivores produced concordant results across sites, increasing microbiome diversity by increasing plant biomass, which created a shaded microclimate. This demonstration of consistent responses of microbiome diversity across a wide range of host species and environmental conditions suggests the possibility of a general, predictive understanding of microbiome diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
| | - Maria C Caldeira
- Forest Research Centre, Associate Laboratory TERRA, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Kendi F Davies
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA
| | - Linda Kinkel
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Johannes M H Knops
- Health and Environmental Sciences Department, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
| | | | | | - Georgiana May
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Michael Millican
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Joslin L Moore
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, VIC, 3084, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, 25 Rainforest Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Luis I Perez
- IFEVA-Facultad de Agronomía (UBA)/CONICET, Departamento de Recursos Naturales, Catedra ´ de Ecología, Av. San Martín, 4453, Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Anita J Porath-Krause
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Sally A Power
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | | | - Anita C Risch
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Carly Stevens
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
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5
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Šigutová H, Šigut M, Pyszko P, Kostovčík M, Kolařík M, Drozd P. Seasonal Shifts in Bacterial and Fungal Microbiomes of Leaves and Associated Leaf-Mining Larvae Reveal Persistence of Core Taxa Regardless of Diet. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0316022. [PMID: 36629441 PMCID: PMC9927363 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03160-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms are key mediators of interactions between insect herbivores and their host plants. Despite a substantial interest in studying various aspects of these interactions, temporal variations in microbiomes of woody plants and their consumers remain understudied. In this study, we investigated shifts in the microbiomes of leaf-mining larvae (Insecta: Lepidoptera) and their host trees over one growing season in a deciduous temperate forest. We used 16S and ITS2 rRNA gene metabarcoding to profile the bacterial and fungal microbiomes of leaves and larvae. We found pronounced shifts in the leaf and larval microbiota composition and richness as the season progressed, and bacteria and fungi showed consistent patterns. The quantitative similarity between leaf and larval microbiota was very low for bacteria (~9%) and decreased throughout the season, whereas fungal similarity increased and was relatively high (~27%). In both leaves and larvae, seasonality, along with host taxonomy, was the most important factor shaping microbial communities. We identified frequently occurring microbial taxa with significant seasonal trends, including those more prevalent in larvae (Streptococcus, Candida sake, Debaryomyces prosopidis, and Neoascochyta europaea), more prevalent in leaves (Erwinia, Seimatosporium quercinum, Curvibasidium cygneicollum, Curtobacterium, Ceramothyrium carniolicum, and Mycosphaerelloides madeirae), and frequent in both leaves and larvae (bacterial strain P3OB-42, Methylobacterium/Methylorubrum, Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Cutibacterium, and Botrytis cinerea). Our results highlight the importance of considering seasonality when studying the interactions between plants, herbivorous insects, and their respective microbiomes, and illustrate a range of microbial taxa persistent in larvae, regardless of their occurrence in the diet. IMPORTANCE Leaf miners are endophagous insect herbivores that feed on plant tissues and develop and live enclosed between the epidermis layers of a single leaf for their entire life cycle. Such close association is a precondition for the evolution of more intimate host-microbe relationships than those found in free-feeding herbivores. Simultaneous comparison of bacterial and fungal microbiomes of leaves and their tightly linked consumers over time represents an interesting study system that could fundamentally contribute to the ongoing debate on the microbial residence of insect gut. Furthermore, leaf miners are ideal model organisms for interpreting the ecological and evolutionary roles of microbiota in host plant specialization. In this study, the larvae harbored specific microbial communities consisting of core microbiome members. Observed patterns suggest that microbes, especially bacteria, may play more important roles in the caterpillar holobiont than generally presumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana Šigutová
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Šigut
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
- Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Pyszko
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Kostovčík
- Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Kolařík
- Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Drozd
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
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6
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Fungi are more transient than bacteria in caterpillar gut microbiomes. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15552. [PMID: 36114345 PMCID: PMC9481635 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19855-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite an increasing number of studies on caterpillar (Insecta: Lepidoptera) gut microbiota, bacteria have been emphasized more than fungi. Therefore, we lack data on whether fungal microbiota is resident or transient and shaped by factors similar to those of bacteria. We sampled nine polyphagous caterpillar species from several tree species at multiple sites to determine the factors shaping leaf and gut bacterial and fungal microbiota as well as the extent to which caterpillars acquire microbiota from their diet. We performed 16S and ITS2 DNA metabarcoding of the leaves and guts to determine the composition and richness of the respective microbiota. While spatial variables shaped the bacterial and fungal microbiota of the leaves, they only affected fungi in the guts, whereas the bacteria were shaped primarily by caterpillar species, with some species harboring more specific bacterial consortia. Leaf and gut microbiota significantly differed; in bacteria, this difference was more pronounced. The quantitative similarity between leaves and guts significantly differed among caterpillar species in bacteria but not fungi, suggesting that some species have more transient bacterial microbiota. Our results suggest the complexity of the factors shaping the gut microbiota, while highlighting interspecific differences in microbiota residency within the same insect functional group.
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7
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Lumibao CY, Torres Martínez L, Megonigal JP, Van Bael SA, Blum MJ. Microbial mediation of salinity stress response varies by plant genotype and provenance over time. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4571-4585. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.16603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Candice Y. Lumibao
- University of Tennessee Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Knoxville TN USA
- Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, Department of Life Sciences Corpus Christi Texas USA
| | | | | | - Sunshine A. Van Bael
- Tulane University Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology New Orleans LA USA
| | - Michael J. Blum
- University of Tennessee Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Knoxville TN USA
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8
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Environmental factors and host genetic variation shape the fungal endophyte communities within needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). FUNGAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2022.101162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Michalska-Smith M, Song Z, Spawn-Lee SA, Hansen ZA, Johnson M, May G, Borer ET, Seabloom EW, Kinkel LL. Network structure of resource use and niche overlap within the endophytic microbiome. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:435-446. [PMID: 34413476 PMCID: PMC8776778 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01080-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Endophytes often have dramatic effects on their host plants. Characterizing the relationships among members of these communities has focused on identifying the effects of single microbes on their host, but has generally overlooked interactions among the myriad microbes in natural communities as well as potential higher-order interactions. Network analyses offer a powerful means for characterizing patterns of interaction among microbial members of the phytobiome that may be crucial to mediating its assembly and function. We sampled twelve endophytic communities, comparing patterns of niche overlap between coexisting bacteria and fungi to evaluate the effect of nutrient supplementation on local and global competitive network structure. We found that, despite differences in the degree distribution, there were few significant differences in the global network structure of niche-overlap networks following persistent nutrient amendment. Likewise, we found idiosyncratic and weak evidence for higher-order interactions regardless of nutrient treatment. This work provides a first-time characterization of niche-overlap network structure in endophytic communities and serves as a framework for higher-resolution analyses of microbial interaction networks as a consequence and a cause of ecological variation in microbiome function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Michalska-Smith
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA.
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA.
| | - Zewei Song
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Seth A Spawn-Lee
- Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Zoe A Hansen
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Mitch Johnson
- Department of Horticultural Science, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Georgiana May
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, USA
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, USA
| | - Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, USA
| | - Linda L Kinkel
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
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10
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Bastías DA, Bustos LB, Jáuregui R, Barrera A, Acuña-Rodríguez IS, Molina-Montenegro MA, Gundel PE. Epichloë Fungal Endophytes Influence Seed-Associated Bacterial Communities. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:795354. [PMID: 35058911 PMCID: PMC8764391 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.795354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Seeds commonly harbour diverse bacterial communities that can enhance the fitness of future plants. The bacterial microbiota associated with mother plant’s foliar tissues is one of the main sources of bacteria for seeds. Therefore, any ecological factor influencing the mother plant’s microbiota may also affect the diversity of the seed’s bacterial community. Grasses form associations with beneficial vertically transmitted fungal endophytes of genus Epichloë. The interaction of plants with Epichloë endophytes and insect herbivores can influence the plant foliar microbiota. However, it is unknown whether these interactions (alone or in concert) can affect the assembly of bacterial communities in the produced seed. We subjected Lolium multiflorum plants with and without its common endophyte Epichloë occultans (E+, E-, respectively) to an herbivory treatment with Rhopalosiphum padi aphids and assessed the diversity and composition of the bacterial communities in the produced seed. The presence of Epichloë endophytes influenced the seed bacterial microbiota by increasing the diversity and affecting the composition of the communities. The relative abundances of the bacterial taxa were more similarly distributed in communities associated with E+ than E- seeds with the latter being dominated by just a few bacterial groups. Contrary to our expectations, seed bacterial communities were not affected by the aphid herbivory experienced by mother plants. We speculate that the enhanced seed/seedling performance documented for Epichloë-host associations may be explained, at least in part, by the Epichloë-mediated increment in the seed-bacterial diversity, and that this phenomenon may be applicable to other plant-endophyte associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Bastías
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Ludmila Bubica Bustos
- IFEVA, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ruy Jáuregui
- AgResearch Limited, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Andrea Barrera
- Laboratorio de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Ian S Acuña-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Marco A Molina-Montenegro
- Laboratorio de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile.,Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile.,Centro de Investigación de Estudios Avanzados del Maule, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
| | - Pedro E Gundel
- IFEVA, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Ecología Integrativa, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
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11
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Plaszkó T, Szűcs Z, Cziáky Z, Ács-Szabó L, Csoma H, Géczi L, Vasas G, Gonda S. Correlations Between the Metabolome and the Endophytic Fungal Metagenome Suggests Importance of Various Metabolite Classes in Community Assembly in Horseradish ( Armoracia rusticana, Brassicaceae) Roots. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:921008. [PMID: 35783967 PMCID: PMC9247618 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.921008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The plant microbiome is an increasingly intensive research area, with significance in agriculture, general plant health, and production of bioactive natural products. Correlations between the fungal endophytic communities and plant chemistry can provide insight into these interactions, and suggest key contributors on both the chemical and fungal side. In this study, roots of various horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) accessions grown under the same conditions were sampled in two consecutive years and chemically characterized using a quality controlled, untargeted metabolomics approach by LC-ESI-MS/MS. Sinigrin, gluconasturtiin, glucoiberin, and glucobrassicin were also quantified. Thereafter, a subset of roots from eight accessions (n = 64) with considerable chemical variability was assessed for their endophytic fungal community, using an ITS2 amplicon-based metagenomic approach using a custom primer with high coverage on fungi, but no amplification of host internal transcribed spacer (ITS). A set of 335 chemical features, including putatively identified flavonoids, phospholipids, peptides, amino acid derivatives, indolic phytoalexins, a glucosinolate, and a glucosinolate downstream product was detected. Major taxa in horseradish roots belonged to Cantharellales, Glomerellales, Hypocreales, Pleosporales, Saccharomycetales, and Sordariales. Most abundant genera included typical endophytes such as Plectosphaerella, Thanatephorus, Podospora, Monosporascus, Exophiala, and Setophoma. A surprising dominance of single taxa was observed for many samples. In summary, 35.23% of reads of the plant endophytic fungal microbiome correlated with changes in the plant metabolome. While the concentration of flavonoid kaempferol glycosides positively correlated with the abundance of many fungal strains, many compounds showed negative correlations with fungi including indolic phytoalexins, a putative glucosinolate but not major glucosinolates and a glutathione isothiocyanate adduct. The latter is likely an in vivo glucosinolate decomposition product important in fungal arrest. Our results show the potency of the untargeted metabolomics approach in deciphering plant-microbe interactions and depicts a complex array of various metabolite classes in shaping the endophytic fungal community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Plaszkó
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Szűcs
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Cziáky
- Agricultural and Molecular Research and Service Institute, University of Nyíregyháza, Nyíregyháza, Hungary
| | - Lajos Ács-Szabó
- Department of Genetics and Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Hajnalka Csoma
- Department of Genetics and Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - László Géczi
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Gábor Vasas
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Sándor Gonda
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- *Correspondence: Sándor Gonda, ,
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12
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Porath‐Krause A, Strauss AT, Henning JA, Seabloom EW, Borer ET. Pitfalls and pointers: An accessible guide to marker gene amplicon sequencing in ecological applications. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anita Porath‐Krause
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota St. Paul MN USA
| | - Alexander T. Strauss
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota St. Paul MN USA
| | - Jeremiah A. Henning
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota St. Paul MN USA
| | - Eric W. Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota St. Paul MN USA
| | - Elizabeth T. Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota St. Paul MN USA
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13
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Bell-Dereske LP, Evans SE. Contributions of environmental and maternal transmission to the assembly of leaf fungal endophyte communities. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210621. [PMID: 34375558 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Leaf fungal endophytes (LFEs) contribute to plant growth and responses to stress. Fungi colonize leaves through maternal transmission, e.g. via the seed, and through environmental transmission, e.g. via aerial dispersal. The relative importance of these two pathways in assembly and function of the LFE community is poorly understood. We used amplicon sequencing to track switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) LFEs in a greenhouse and field experiment as communities assembled from seed endophytes and rain fungi (integration of wet and dry aerial dispersal) in germinating seeds, seedlings, and adult plants. Rain fungi varied temporally and hosted a greater portion of switchgrass LFE richness (greater than 65%) than were found in seed endophytes (greater than 25%). Exposure of germinating seeds to rain inoculum increased dissimilarity between LFE communities and seed endophytes, increasing the abundance of rain-derived taxa, but did not change diversity. In the field, seedling LFE composition changed more over time, with a decline in seed-derived taxa and an increase in richness, in response to environmental transmission than LFEs of adult plants. We show that environmental transmission is an important driver of LFE assembly, and likely plant growth, but its influence depends on both the conditions at the time of colonization and plant life stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas P Bell-Dereske
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Sarah E Evans
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI 49060, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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14
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Watson M, Bushley K, Seabloom EW, May G. Response of fungal endophyte communities within Andropogon gerardii (Big bluestem) to nutrient addition and herbivore exclusion. FUNGAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2021.101043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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15
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Foliar Endophytic Fungi from the Endangered Eastern Mountain Avens ( Geum peckii, Rosaceae) in Canada. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10051026. [PMID: 34065394 PMCID: PMC8161203 DOI: 10.3390/plants10051026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Eastern Mountain Avens (Geum peckii Pursh, Rosaceae) is a globally rare and endangered perennial plant found only at two coastal bogs within Digby County (Nova Scotia, Canada) and at several alpine sites in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (USA). In Canada, the G. peckii population has declined over the past forty years due in part to habitat degradation. We investigated the culturable foliar fungi present in G. peckii leaves at five locations with varying degrees of human impact within this plant species’ Canadian range. Fungal identifications were made using ITS rDNA barcoding of axenic fungal cultures isolated from leaf tissue. Differences in foliar fungal communities among sites were documented, with a predominance of Gnomoniaceae (Class: Sordariomycetes, Phylum: Ascomycota). Habitats with more human impact showed lower endophytic diversities (10–16 species) compared to the pristine habitat (27 species). Intriguingly, several fungi may represent previously unknown taxa. Our work represents a significant step towards understanding G. peckii’s mycobiome and provides relevant data to inform conservation of this rare and endangered plant.
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16
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Liu Y, Qu ZL, Liu B, Ma Y, Xu J, Shen WX, Sun H. The Impact of Pine Wood Nematode Infection on the Host Fungal Community. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9050896. [PMID: 33922224 PMCID: PMC8146488 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9050896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by pinewood nematode (PWN) Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is globally one of the most destructive diseases of pine forests, especially in China. However, little is known about the effect of PWD on the host microbiome. In this study, the fungal community and functional structures in the needles, roots, and soil of and around Pinus thunbergii naturally infected by PWN were investigated by using high-throughput sequencing coupled with the functional prediction (FUNGuild). The results showed that fungal richness, diversity, and evenness in the needles of diseased trees were significantly lower than those of healthy ones (p < 0.05), whereas no differences were found in the roots and soil. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed that the fungal community and functional structures significantly differed only in the needles of diseased and healthy trees, but not in the soil and roots. Functionally, the saprotrophs had a higher abundance in the needles of diseased trees, whereas symbiotrophs abundance was higher in the needles of healthy trees (linear discriminant analysis (LDA) > 2.0, p < 0.05). These results indicated that PWN infection primarily affected the fungal community and functional structures in the needles of P. thunbergii, but not the roots and soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Liu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (Y.L.); (Z.-L.Q.); (B.L.); (Y.M.); (J.X.)
| | - Zhao-Lei Qu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (Y.L.); (Z.-L.Q.); (B.L.); (Y.M.); (J.X.)
| | - Bing Liu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (Y.L.); (Z.-L.Q.); (B.L.); (Y.M.); (J.X.)
| | - Yang Ma
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (Y.L.); (Z.-L.Q.); (B.L.); (Y.M.); (J.X.)
| | - Jie Xu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (Y.L.); (Z.-L.Q.); (B.L.); (Y.M.); (J.X.)
| | - Wen-Xiao Shen
- School of Foreign Language, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing 210046, China;
| | - Hui Sun
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (Y.L.); (Z.-L.Q.); (B.L.); (Y.M.); (J.X.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-13-851-724-350
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17
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Lajoie G, Kembel SW. Host neighborhood shapes bacterial community assembly and specialization on tree species across a latitudinal gradient. ECOL MONOGR 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Geneviève Lajoie
- Département des sciences biologiques Université du Québec à Montréal 141, Avenue du Président‐Kennedy Montréal QuébecH2X 1Y4Canada
| | - Steven W. Kembel
- Département des sciences biologiques Université du Québec à Montréal 141, Avenue du Président‐Kennedy Montréal QuébecH2X 1Y4Canada
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18
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Henning JA, Kinkel L, May G, Lumibao CY, Seabloom EW, Borer ET. Plant diversity and litter accumulation mediate the loss of foliar endophyte fungal richness following nutrient addition. Ecology 2020; 102:e03210. [PMID: 32981067 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Foliar fungal endophytes are ubiquitous plant symbionts that can affect plant growth and reproduction via their roles in pathogen and stress tolerance, as well as plant hormonal signaling. Despite their importance, we have a limited understanding of how foliar fungal endophytes respond to varying environmental conditions such as nutrient inputs. The responses of foliar fungal endophyte communities to increased nutrient deposition may be mediated by the simultaneous effects on within-host competition as well as the indirect impacts of altered host population size, plant productivity, and plant community diversity and composition. Here, we leveraged a 7-yr experiment manipulating nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients to investigate how nutrient-induced changes to plant diversity, plant productivity, and plant community composition relate to changes in foliar fungal endophyte diversity and richness in a focal native grass host, Andropogon gerardii. We found limited evidence of direct effects of nutrients on endophyte diversity. Instead, the effects of nutrients on endophyte diversity appeared to be mediated by accumulation of plant litter and plant diversity loss. Specifically, nitrogen addition is associated with a 40% decrease in plant diversity and an 11% decrease in endophyte richness. Although nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium addition increased aboveground live biomass and decreased relative Andropogon cover, endophyte diversity did not covary with live plant biomass or Andropogon cover. Our results suggest that fungal endophyte diversity within this focal host is determined in part by the diversity of the surrounding plant community and its potential impact on immigrant propagules and dispersal dynamics. Our results suggest that elemental nutrients reduce endophyte diversity indirectly via impacts on the local plant community, not direct response to nutrient addition. Thus, the effects of global change drivers, such as nutrient deposition, on characteristics of host populations and the diversity of their local communities are important for predicting the response of symbiont communities in a changing global environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremiah A Henning
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA.,Department of Biology, University of South Alabama, 5871 USA Drive N., Room 124, Mobile, Alabama, 36688, USA
| | - Linda Kinkel
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Georgiana May
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Candice Y Lumibao
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA.,Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37996, USA
| | - Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
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19
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Tree Diversity Reduces Fungal Endophyte Richness and Diversity in a Large-Scale Temperate Forest Experiment. DIVERSITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/d11120234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Although decades of research have typically demonstrated a positive correlation between biodiversity of primary producers and associated trophic levels, the ecological drivers of this association are poorly understood. Recent evidence suggests that the plant microbiome, or the fungi and bacteria found on and inside plant hosts, may be cryptic yet important drivers of important processes, including primary production and trophic interactions. Here, using high-throughput sequencing, we characterized foliar fungal community diversity, composition, and function from 15 broadleaved tree species (N = 545) in a recently established, large-scale temperate tree diversity experiment using over 17,000 seedlings. Specifically, we tested whether increases in tree richness and phylogenetic diversity would increase fungal endophyte diversity (the “Diversity Begets Diversity” hypothesis), as well as alter community composition (the “Tree Diversity–Endophyte Community” hypothesis) and function (the “Tree Diversity–Endophyte Function” hypothesis) at different spatial scales. We demonstrated that increasing tree richness and phylogenetic diversity decreased fungal species and functional guild richness and diversity, including pathogens, saprotrophs, and parasites, within the first three years of a forest diversity experiment. These patterns were consistent at the neighborhood and tree plot scale. Our results suggest that fungal endophytes, unlike other trophic levels (e.g., herbivores as well as epiphytic bacteria), respond negatively to increasing plant diversity.
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20
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Lumibao CY, Borer ET, Condon B, Kinkel L, May G, Seabloom EW. Site-specific responses of foliar fungal microbiomes to nutrient addition and herbivory at different spatial scales. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:12231-12244. [PMID: 31832156 PMCID: PMC6854330 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The plant microbiome can affect host function in many ways and characterizing the ecological factors that shape endophytic (microbes living inside host plant tissues) community diversity is a key step in understanding the impacts of environmental change on these communities. Phylogenetic relatedness among members of a community offers a way of quantifying phylogenetic diversity of a community and can provide insight into the ecological factors that shape endophyte microbiomes. We examined the effects of experimental nutrient addition and herbivory exclusion on the phylogenetic diversity of foliar fungal endophyte communities of the grass species Andropogon gerardii at four sites in the Great Plains of the central USA. Using amplicon sequencing, we characterized the effects of fertilization and herbivory on fungal community phylogenetic diversity at spatial scales that spanned within-host to between sites across the Great Plains. Despite increasing fungal diversity and richness, at larger spatial scales, fungal microbiomes were composed of taxa showing random phylogenetic associations. Phylogenetic diversity did not differ systematically when summed across increasing spatial scales from a few meters within plots to hundreds of kilometers among sites. We observed substantial shifts in composition across sites, demonstrating distinct but similarly diverse fungal communities were maintained within sites across the region. In contrast, at the scale of within leaves, fungal communities tended to be comprised of closely related taxa regardless of the environment, but there were no shifts in phylogenetic composition among communities. We also found that nutrient addition (fertilization) and herbivory have varying effects at different sites. These results suggest that the direction and magnitude of the outcomes of environmental modifications likely depend on the spatial scale considered, and can also be constrained by regional site differences in microbial diversity and composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candice Y. Lumibao
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSt. PaulMinnesota
| | - Elizabeth T. Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSt. PaulMinnesota
| | - Bradford Condon
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSt. PaulMinnesota
| | - Linda Kinkel
- Department of Plant PathologyUniversity of MinnesotaSt. PaulMinnesota
| | - Georgiana May
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSt. PaulMinnesota
| | - Eric W. Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSt. PaulMinnesota
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21
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Seabloom EW, Condon B, Kinkel L, Komatsu KJ, Lumibao CY, May G, McCulley RL, Borer ET. Effects of nutrient supply, herbivory, and host community on fungal endophyte diversity. Ecology 2019; 100:e02758. [PMID: 31306499 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The microbes contained within free-living organisms can alter host growth, reproduction, and interactions with the environment. In turn, processes occurring at larger scales determine the local biotic and abiotic environment of each host that may affect the diversity and composition of the microbiome community. Here, we examine variation in the diversity and composition of the foliar fungal microbiome in the grass host, Andropogon gerardii, across four mesic prairies in the central United States. Composition of fungal endophyte communities differed among sites and among individuals within a site, but was not consistently affected by experimental manipulation of nutrient supply to hosts (A. gerardii) or herbivore reduction via fencing. In contrast, mean fungal diversity was similar among sites but was limited by total plant biomass at the plot scale. Our work demonstrates that distributed experiments motivated by ecological theory are a powerful tool to unravel the multiscale processes governing microbial community composition and diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Bradford Condon
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Linda Kinkel
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Kimberly J Komatsu
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, Maryland, 21037, USA
| | - Candice Y Lumibao
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Georgiana May
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Rebecca L McCulley
- Department of Plant & Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536-0312, USA
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
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