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Role of Diverse Non-Systemic Fungal Endophytes in Plant Performance and Response to Stress: Progress and Approaches

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Abstract

Plant–fungal symbiotic associations are ubiquitously distributed in natural plant communities. Besides the well-studied mycorrhizal symbiosis and grass systemic clavicipitaceous endophytes, recently, nonsystemic and horizontally transmitted fungal endophytes serving as plant symbionts have been increasingly recognized. Pure culture isolation and culture-independent molecular methods indicate that all parts of healthy plant tissues potentially harbor diverse and previously unknown fungal lineages. Limited evidence also supports a hypothesis that endophytic mycobiota dynamics may have a role in evolution of plants. High variability or “balanced antagonism” can be generally characterized with host–endophyte interactions, which implies that the outcome of symbiotic interactions can fall within a continuum ranging from mutualism to commensalism, and ultimately pathogenicity. Despite this complicated system, admittedly, fungal endophytes really endow the host with an extended phenotype. Accumulating facts illustrate that plant nutrition acquisition, metabolism, and stress tolerance may be strengthened or modulated via fungal symbionts. Piriformospora indica, a member of the order Sebacinales, simultaneously confers host resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. The ecological relevance of other fungal groups, including foliar endophytes, root dark septate endophytes (DSEs), some opportunistic and avirulent microsymbionts (for example, Trichoderma and Fusarium), and even uncultured fungi structurally and physiologically integrated with host tissues, are also being deeply exploited. Production of bioactive metabolites by fungi, overexpression of stress-related enzymes, and induced resistance in hosts upon fungal colonization are responsible for direct or indirect beneficial effects to hosts. More knowledge of endophyte-mediated enhancement of host performance and fitness will offer alternatively valuable strategies for plant cultivation and breeding. Meanwhile, with unprecedented loss of biodiversity, discovery of indigenously novel symbiotic endophytes from natural habitats is urgently needed. In addition, we present some approaches and suggestions for studying host–endophyte interactions.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30600002) and the Science and Technology Project of Zhejiang Province (No. 2006C12088) to Chulong Zhang. We are grateful to three anonymous reviewers and reviewing editors for valuable comments and language corrections that greatly improved the manuscript. We also thank Professor Kari Saikkonen (Turku University) for providing suggestive information and Professor Jerry R. Barrow (USDA-ARS) for polishing the language of the manuscript.

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  1. State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China

    Zhi-lin Yuan, Chu-long Zhang & Fu-cheng Lin

  2. Chinese Academy of Forestry, Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Fuyang, 311400, China

    Zhi-lin Yuan

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  1. Zhi-lin Yuan
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  2. Chu-long Zhang
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  3. Fu-cheng Lin
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Correspondence to Chu-long Zhang or Fu-cheng Lin.

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Yuan, Zl., Zhang, Cl. & Lin, Fc. Role of Diverse Non-Systemic Fungal Endophytes in Plant Performance and Response to Stress: Progress and Approaches. J Plant Growth Regul 29, 116–126 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-009-9112-9

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