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Response of endophytic fungi of Stipa grandis to experimental plant function group removal in Inner Mongolia steppe, China

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Abstract

Endophytic fungi associated with Stipa grandis in the Inner Mongolia steppe were investigated. Thirty-four fungal taxa were identified from plant tissues obtained in four treatments where different plant functional groups were removed. Nine taxa were obtained from leaves and 25 from roots; and no taxa occurred in both leaves and roots. Colonization rates were significantly higher in roots than in leaves. This finding differs from most previous studies and may be due to the small size of the leaves which grow annually, as compared to the roots which persist from year to year under the ground. Alternaria sp. 1 and Pyrenophora sp., both isolated from leaves, were the dominant species in the four treatments. Fusarium redolens was dominant in the roots in treatments I and II, and Phialophora sp. was dominant in treatments III and IV. Horizontal transmission of endophytes may occur between the same and different grass species. This would normally occur through the roots, again accounting for the higher diversity. The results suggest that surrounding plant diversity or plant composition can affect endophyte communities of S. grandis. If endophyte communities alter with change of functional plant groups, then this is likely to affect the dynamics of ecosystem functioning. Global warming and human activities can increase species extinction, therefore, if some functional groups disappear, then the fungi communities will also change.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Inner Mongolia Grassland Ecosystem Research Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for their help when sampling. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grants (30930005, 30870087 and 30499340) and the State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change in the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Systematic Mycology and Lichenology Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, People’s Republic of China

    Yuan-Ying Su & Liang-Dong Guo

  2. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Yuan-Ying Su

  3. School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand

    Kevin D. Hyde

  4. Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Kevin D. Hyde

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  1. Yuan-Ying Su
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Correspondence to Liang-Dong Guo.

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Su, YY., Guo, LD. & Hyde, K.D. Response of endophytic fungi of Stipa grandis to experimental plant function group removal in Inner Mongolia steppe, China. Fungal Diversity 43, 93–101 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-010-0040-6

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