Abstract
Ecological significance of trees growing in urban and peri-urban settings is likely to increase in future land-use regimes, calling for better understanding of their role as potential reservoirs or stepping stones for associated biodiversity. We studied the diversity of fungal endophytes in woody tissues of asymptomatic even aged pedunculate oak trees, growing as amenity trees in a peri-urban setting. The trees were classified into three groups according to their phenotypic vitality (high, medium, and low). Endophytes were cultured on potato dextrose media from surface sterilized twigs and DNA sequencing was performed to reveal the taxonomic identity of the morphotypes. In xylem tissues, the frequency and diversity of endophytes was highest in oak trees showing reduced vitality. This difference was not found for bark samples, in which the endophyte infections were more frequent and communities more diverse than in xylem. In general, most taxa were shared across the samples with few morphotypes being recovered in unique samples. Leaf phenolic profiles were found to accurately classify the trees according to their phenotypic vitality. Our results confirm that xylem is more selective substrate for endophytes than bark and that endophyte assemblages in xylem are correlated to the degree of host vitality. Thus, high vitality of trees may be associated with reduced habitat quality to wood-associated endophytes.
Highlights
Trees growing in urban and peri-urban settings have high amenity value and support a variety of ecological and environmental benefits, including improvement of air quality and catchment of stormwater runoff (Brack, 2002; McPherson et al, 2011; Livesley et al, 2016)
Our study provided support for the hypothesis that fungal endophyte communities are limited in highly vital trees
We found that xylem infections by culturable endophytes were more frequent in low vitality trees than in high or medium vitality trees
Summary
Trees growing in urban and peri-urban settings have high amenity value and support a variety of ecological and environmental benefits, including improvement of air quality and catchment of stormwater runoff (Brack, 2002; McPherson et al, 2011; Livesley et al, 2016). Urban and periurban trees may act as important reservoirs, stepping stones or components of corridors for the biodiversity associated with trees (Bolund and Hunhammar, 1999; Dearborn and Kark, 2009). The ecological importance of these trees may be expected to increase even more in future, with shifts in land-use patterns and growing urbanization that promote fragmentation and patchiness of the landscapes (McKinney, 2002, 2006; Grimm et al, 2008; Dearborn and Kark, 2009). To guide the management of urban trees toward optimal procurement of multiple ecosystem benefits, more evidence-based information is needed about the different layers of their associated biodiversity.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
