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How does the Fungal Endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum Affect Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) Rhizodeposition and Soil Microorganisms?

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Abstract

The goal of our study was to investigate the impact of fungal endophytes in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) on rhizodeposition and in turn, the soil microbial community. Sand-based, aseptic microlysimeter units were constructed for the collection of rhizodeposit solutions for chemical analyses from the roots of endophyte-free (E−) and endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue plants. E+ plants were infected with Neotyphodium coenophialum, the most common endophyte found in tall fescue. Rhizodeposit solutions collected over nine weeks from E+ grass contained more organic carbon and carbohydrates than E−. These solutions were allowed to percolate through columns of plant-free soils to assess the response of the soil microbial communities. Soils to which solutions from E+ grass were applied had significantly higher respiration rates than those receiving solutions from E− grass, suggesting that microbial activity was stimulated by changes in the rhizodeposits. Culture-based assays of the soil microbial community (plate counts and community-level physiological profiling) suggest that the basic structure of the microbial community was not affected by application of rhizodeposit solutions from E+ plants as compared to E−. Our results indicate that the presence of a fungal endophyte may enhance rhizodeposition by tall fescue and could consequently influence microbial mineralization processes in the soil. In grasslands where nutrients may be limiting, hosting a fungal endophyte has the potential to enhance plant nutrient supply indirectly via a stimulatory effect on the soil microbial biomass.

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  1. Department of Biology, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE, 68178, USA

    Megan M. Van Hecke, Amy M. Treonis & Jessica R. Kaufman

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  1. Megan M. Van Hecke
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  2. Amy M. Treonis
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  3. Jessica R. Kaufman
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Correspondence to Amy M. Treonis.

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Megan M. Van Hecke and Amy M. Treonis - Both authors contributed equally to this work.

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Van Hecke, M.M., Treonis, A.M. & Kaufman, J.R. How does the Fungal Endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum Affect Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) Rhizodeposition and Soil Microorganisms?. Plant Soil 275, 101–109 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-0380-2

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