Abstract
Research on agronomic grasses has shown that Class 1 fungal endophytes (. Neotyphodium/Epichloë; Clavicipitaceae) can have profound effects on host plant fitness. However, in natural systems, even basic ecological knowledge of most endophyte symbioses is lacking. Here, I describe the distribution and abundance of endophytes across 36 native (or naturalized) grasses in a previously unsurveyed region, the California Floristic Province. Symbiosis was generally low: 8.33. % of species and 18.75. % of genera hosted endophytes. I then compared the proportions of symbiotic species and genera found in California and other Mediterranean regions to the proportions found in non-Mediterranean regions. Surveys of Mediterranean-influenced regions showed significantly lower proportions of species (~66. % lower) and genera (~65. % lower) hosting endophyte than surveys of non-Mediterranean regions. This pattern suggests that selection in Mediterranean climates may not favor endophyte symbioses.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 345-352 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Fungal Ecology |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- California
- Climate
- Drought
- Epichloë
- Fungal endophyte
- Mediterranean
- Mutualism
- Neotyphodium
- Poaceae
- Symbiosis
- Temperature
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Ecology
- Ecological Modeling
- Plant Science
Cite this
Fungal endophyte-grass symbioses are rare in the California floristic province and other regions with Mediterranean-influenced climates. / Afkhami, Michelle.
In: Fungal Ecology, Vol. 5, No. 3, 01.06.2012, p. 345-352.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Fungal endophyte-grass symbioses are rare in the California floristic province and other regions with Mediterranean-influenced climates
AU - Afkhami, Michelle
PY - 2012/6/1
Y1 - 2012/6/1
N2 - Research on agronomic grasses has shown that Class 1 fungal endophytes (. Neotyphodium/Epichloë; Clavicipitaceae) can have profound effects on host plant fitness. However, in natural systems, even basic ecological knowledge of most endophyte symbioses is lacking. Here, I describe the distribution and abundance of endophytes across 36 native (or naturalized) grasses in a previously unsurveyed region, the California Floristic Province. Symbiosis was generally low: 8.33. % of species and 18.75. % of genera hosted endophytes. I then compared the proportions of symbiotic species and genera found in California and other Mediterranean regions to the proportions found in non-Mediterranean regions. Surveys of Mediterranean-influenced regions showed significantly lower proportions of species (~66. % lower) and genera (~65. % lower) hosting endophyte than surveys of non-Mediterranean regions. This pattern suggests that selection in Mediterranean climates may not favor endophyte symbioses.
AB - Research on agronomic grasses has shown that Class 1 fungal endophytes (. Neotyphodium/Epichloë; Clavicipitaceae) can have profound effects on host plant fitness. However, in natural systems, even basic ecological knowledge of most endophyte symbioses is lacking. Here, I describe the distribution and abundance of endophytes across 36 native (or naturalized) grasses in a previously unsurveyed region, the California Floristic Province. Symbiosis was generally low: 8.33. % of species and 18.75. % of genera hosted endophytes. I then compared the proportions of symbiotic species and genera found in California and other Mediterranean regions to the proportions found in non-Mediterranean regions. Surveys of Mediterranean-influenced regions showed significantly lower proportions of species (~66. % lower) and genera (~65. % lower) hosting endophyte than surveys of non-Mediterranean regions. This pattern suggests that selection in Mediterranean climates may not favor endophyte symbioses.
KW - California
KW - Climate
KW - Drought
KW - Epichloë
KW - Fungal endophyte
KW - Mediterranean
KW - Mutualism
KW - Neotyphodium
KW - Poaceae
KW - Symbiosis
KW - Temperature
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84859638097&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84859638097&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.funeco.2011.09.006
DO - 10.1016/j.funeco.2011.09.006
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84859638097
VL - 5
SP - 345
EP - 352
JO - Fungal Ecology
JF - Fungal Ecology
SN - 1754-5048
IS - 3
ER -