Abstract
There is increasing evidence that microbes play a key role in some plant invasions. A diverse and widespread but little understood group of plant-associated microbes are the fungal root endophytes of the order Sebacinales. They are associated with exotic populations of invasive knotweed (Reynoutria ssp.) in Europe, but their effects on the invaders are unknown. We used the recently isolated Sebacinales root endophyte Serendipita herbamans to experimentally inoculate invasive knotweed and study root colonisation and effects on knotweed growth under different environmental conditions. We verified the inoculation success and fungal colonisation through immunofluorescence microscopy and qPCR. We found that S. herbamans strongly colonized invasive knotweed in low-nutrient and shade environments, but much less under drought or benign conditions. At low nutrients, the endophyte had a positive effect on plant growth, whereas the opposite was true under shaded conditions. Our study demonstrates that the root endophyte S. herbamans has the potential to colonize invasive knotweed fine roots and impact its growth, and it could thus also play a role in natural populations. Our results also show that effects of fungal endophytes on plants can be strongly environment-dependent, and may only be visible under stressful environmental conditions.
Highlights
Fungal endophytes are a phylogenetically diverse and widespread group of plant-associated microbes (Rodriguez et al 2009)
Our study demonstrates that the root endophyte S. herbamans has the potential to colonize invasive knotweed fine roots and impact its growth, and it could play a role in natural populations
In this study we show that the fungal root endophyte Serendipita herbamans can rapidly colonize invasive knotweed (Reynoutria ssp.) and influence its growth, with detrimental effects in the shade but promotion of growth under low-nutrient conditions
Summary
Fungal endophytes are a phylogenetically diverse and widespread group of plant-associated microbes (Rodriguez et al 2009). They can influence the growth and reproduction of individual plants, or their resistance. There is evidence that endophytes can influence the diversity and composition of entire plant communities (Afkhami and Strauss 2016; Aguilar-Trigueros and Rillig 2016; Clay and Holah 1999; Rudgers et al 2004, 2005) as well as their associated ecological networks (e.g. herbivores and their parasitoids; Omacini et al 2001). Other fungal systems have been hardly studied, mainly because most fungal endophytes are often difficult to cultivate and controlled experiments for testing their ecological functions have so far been impossible
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