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Fungal endophyte presence and genotype affect plant diversity and soil-to-atmosphere trace gas fluxes

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Abstract

Aims

Novel fungal endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum; Latch, Christensen and Samuels; Glenn, Bacon, and Hanlin) genotypes in symbiosis with tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum; Schreb. Darbysh.) have been recently introduced to agricultural seed markets. These novel endophytes do not produce the full suite of toxins that the ‘common toxic’ form does, and therefore, may not have the same consequences on plant and soil processes. Here, we evaluated the effects of endophyte presence and genotype on ecosystem processes of tall fescue stands.

Methods

We quantified the effects of the presence of the common toxic endophyte (CT), two novel endophyte genotypes (AR-542, AR-584), no endophyte (endophyte free, E-), and a mixture of all endophyte statuses (mix) within a single genotype of tall fescue (PDF) on various soil and plant parameters.

Results

Endophyte presence and genotype affected tall fescue cover and plant species diversity: cover—CT, AR-542, AR -584, mix > E- and species diversity—E- > AR-542, AR -584 > CT, mix. Most measured soil parameters had significant endophyte effects. For example, higher fluxes of soil CO2 and N2O were measured from stands of AR-542 than from the other endophyte treatments.

Conclusions

These results indicate that endophyte presence and genetic identity are important in understanding the ecosystem-scale effects of this agronomically important grass-fungal symbiosis.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Andy Hopkins, Carolyn Young, and the Noble Foundation for providing the tall fescue-fungal genotype seed and in helping to confirm the endophyte status of our plots. Thanks to Elizabeth Carlisle for her assistance in the field sampling and laboratory analysis. We also appreciate the help of R. Smith, A. Cooke, and L. Box for identifying and sorting plant species in the field. Funding for this project was provided via a cooperative agreement between the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky and the USDA-ARS Forage Animal Production Research Unit (58-6440-7-135) and the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station (KY006045).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546-0091, USA

    Javed Iqbal, Jim A. Nelson & Rebecca L. McCulley

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  1. Javed Iqbal
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  2. Jim A. Nelson
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  3. Rebecca L. McCulley
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Correspondence to Rebecca L. McCulley.

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Responsible Editor: Jesus Mercado-Blanco.

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Fig. 1S

Comparison of spring season non-destructive cover estimates for (A) tall fescue (%), (B) other graminoid (%), (C) forb (%), and (D) woody plants (%) among treatments. Endophyte treatment descriptions are given in Fig. 1. Error bars indicate standard deviation of the mean (n = 6). Different letters indicate significant differences among treatments (as determined by Tukey’s test), and the P value is from the corresponding ANOVA model, with bolding indicating significance. There were no woody plants observed in the AR-542 treatment at this time (DOCX 69 kb)

Fig. 2S

Comparison of summer harvest for (A) total above ground biomass (g m−2), (B) tall fescue biomass (g m−2), (C) other graminoid biomass (g m−2), and (D) forb biomass (g m−2) among treatments. Treatment descriptions are given in Fig. 1. Error bars indicate standard deviation of the mean (n = 6). Treatment P-values taken from ANOVA models are shown (DOCX 80.5 kb)

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Iqbal, J., Nelson, J.A. & McCulley, R.L. Fungal endophyte presence and genotype affect plant diversity and soil-to-atmosphere trace gas fluxes. Plant Soil 364, 15–27 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1326-0

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