Epichloë − a lifeline for temperate grasses under combined drought and insect pressure
Katrin G. Hewitt,Alison J. Popay,Rainer W. Hofmann,John R. Caradus,John R. Caradus +4 more
- Vol. 1, Iss: 1, pp 1-12
TLDR
This review examines the current state of knowledge on the effects of Epichloë on the interactions of insects and drought in temperate grasses and identified endophyte strains that retain insect-active alkaloids while minimising the production of mammalian active toxins.Abstract:
Fungal Epichloe endophytes form symbiotic associations with many temperate grasses, such as Lolium and Festuca, giving their host grasses an ecological advantage. The importance of specific Epichloe endophytes in providing varying levels of protection against invertebrate pests has been well documented. Similarly, but with fewer studies, the benefits of Epichloe to host grasses in drought events has been shown. Endophyte-infected grasses show an improved persistence against herbivore insect attack as well as resilience under drought. However, there are relatively few studies that investigate the interaction between drought and insect pressure, and yet it is these combined pressures that can prove detrimental for a ryegrass or fescue crop. This review examines the current state of knowledge on the effects of Epichloe on the interactions of insects and drought in temperate grasses.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Vertically Transmitted Epichloë Systemic Endophyte Enhances Drought Tolerance of Achnatherum inebrians Host Plants through Promoting Photosynthesis and Biomass Accumulation
TL;DR: In this article , the authors explored the positive effects of the presence of the Epichloë endophyte on plant growth, biomass, and photosynthetic efficiency and processes of Schnatherum inebrians under non-drought and two drought (moderate and severe) treatments, using RNA sequencing to compare transcriptomes.
Improved adaptation of temperate grasses through mutualism with fungal endophytes.
J. R. Caradus,L. J. Johnson +1 more
TL;DR: Determining which fungal endophytes are mutualistic has been, and continues to be, a challenge, particularly as the authors begin to realize that endophytic interactions interact with other endophyts and little is understood about what factors shape endophyte community structures.
Journal ArticleDOI
Asexual Epichloë Fungi—Obligate Mutualists
TL;DR: Asexual Epichloe are obligate fungal mutualists that form symbiosis with many temperate grass species, providing several advantages to the host as discussed by the authors, such as protection against vertebrate and invertebrate herbivores, improved resistance to phytopathogens, increased adaptation to drought stress, nutrient deficiency, and heavy metal-containing soils.
Journal ArticleDOI
Alteration of plant species mixtures by virus infection: Managed pastures the forgotten dimension
TL;DR: In this article , the authors describe 10 diverse examples of past research on mixed species managed pasture done over two decades on three continents that demonstrated plant species balance changes arising from virus infection.
Journal ArticleDOI
Costs and benefits of hosting Epichloë endophytes: a comparison of three haplotypes in Lolium perenne with contrasting effects on two herbivores
Alison J. Popay,Neil R. Cox +1 more
TL;DR: In an outdoor container experiment, the effects of three distinct endophyte haplotypes (AR1, AR37 and CT) on natural infestations of a root aphid, Aploneura lentisci and a mealybug Phenococcus graminicola were compared.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
The dilemma of plants: To grow or defend.
TL;DR: A conceptual model of the evolution of plant defense is concluded, in which plant physioligical trade-offs interact with the abiotic environment, competition and herbivory.
Book
Plant Physiological Ecology
TL;DR: This textbook is notable in emphasizing that the mechanisms underlying plant physiological ecology can be found at the levels of biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology and whole-plant physiology, well-suited to assess the costs, benefits and consequences of modifying plants for human needs, and to evaluate the role of plants in ecosystems.
Journal ArticleDOI
Herbivory in relation to plant nitrogen content
TL;DR: The evidence that N is scarce and perhaps a limiting nutrient for many herbivores, and that in response to this selection pressure, many Herbivores have evolved specific behavioral, morphological, physiological, and other adaptations to cope with and uti lize the ambient N levels of their normal haunts is examined.
Journal ArticleDOI
Fungal endophytes: diversity and functional roles.
TL;DR: It is shown that NC-endophytes represent three distinct functional groups based on host colonization and transmission, in planta biodiversity and fitness benefits conferred to hosts, and key questions for future work in endophyte biology are highlighted.
Journal ArticleDOI
Global warming and changes in drought
Kevin E. Trenberth,Aiguo Dai,Aiguo Dai,Gerard van der Schrier,Gerard van der Schrier,Philip Jones,Philip Jones,Jonathan Barichivich,Jonathan Barichivich,Keith R. Briffa,Justin Sheffield +10 more
TL;DR: In this article, a commonly used drought index and observational data are examined to identify the cause of these discrepancies, and the authors indicate that improvements in the quality and coverage of precipitation data and quantification of natural variability are necessary to provide a better understanding of how drought is changing.