Environmental and host plant effects on taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of root fungal endophytes
Article
Article Title | Environmental and host plant effects on taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of root fungal endophytes |
---|---|
ERA Journal ID | 2470 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Farrer, Emily C., Kulick, Nelle K., Birnbaum, Christina, Halbrook, Susannah, Bumby, Caitlin R. and Willis, Claire |
Journal Title | FEMS Microbiology Letters |
Journal Citation | 372 |
Article Number | fnaf030 |
Number of Pages | 9 |
Year | 2025 |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
ISSN | 0378-1097 |
1574-6968 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1093/femsle/fnaf030 |
Web Address (URL) | https://academic.oup.com/femsle/article/doi/10.1093/femsle/fnaf030/8051342 |
Abstract | Nearly all plants are colonized by fungal endophytes, and a growing body of work shows that both environment and host species shape plant-associated fungal communities. However, few studies place their work in a phylogenetic context to understand endophyte community assembly through an evolutionary lens. Here, we investigated environmental and host effects on root endophyte assemblages in coastal Louisiana marshes. We isolated and sequenced culturable fungal endophytes from roots of three to four dominant plant species from each of three sites of varying salinity. We assessed taxonomic diversity and composition as well as phylogenetic diversity (mean phylogenetic distance, MPD) and phylogenetic composition (based on MPD). When we analyzed plant hosts present across the entire gradient, we found that the effect of the environment on phylogenetic diversity (as measured by MPD) was host dependent and suggested phylogenetic clustering in some circumstances. We found that both environment and host plant affected taxonomic composition of fungal endophytes, but only host plant affected phylogenetic composition, suggesting different host plants selected for fungal taxa drawn from distinct phylogenetic clades, whereas environmental assemblages were drawn from similar clades. Our study demonstrates that including phylogenetic, as well as taxonomic, community metrics can provide a deeper understanding of community assembly in endophytes. |
Keywords | coastal marsh; microbiome; Phragmites australis; plant-microbe interactions; salinity gradient; Spartina |
Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 310305. Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) |
Byline Affiliations | Tulane University, United States |
School of Agriculture and Environmental Science | |
Centre for Crop Health | |
Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/zx549/environmental-and-host-plant-effects-on-taxonomic-and-phylogenetic-diversity-of-root-fungal-endophytes
Download files
14
total views3
total downloads14
views this month3
downloads this month