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) |
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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 |
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