Persistent Identifier
|
doi:10.5683/SP3/VF5XWU |
Publication Date
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2022-02-14 |
Title
| Allelopathic effects of Epichloë fungal endophytes: experiment and meta-analysis |
Author
| Hager, Heather A. (Department of Integrative Biology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, and Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University.)
Gailis, Maija (Department of Integrative Biology. College of Biological Science. University of Guelph.)
Newman, Jonathan A. (Department of Integrative Biology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, and Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University.) |
Point of Contact
|
Use email button above to contact.
Hager, Heather A. (Department of Integrative Biology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, and Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University.) |
Description
| Host-specific Epichloë spp. are endophytic fungal symbionts of pooid grasses that produce herbivore-deterring alkaloids and alter the grass host’s metabolite and protein profiles. Early observations suggested that Epichloë may have negative allelopathic effects on neighbouring plant species, particularly Trifolium spp. clovers, but subsequent allelopathy tests produced variable results. We examined two hypotheses: (1) Epichloë allelopathy negatively affects other plant species, and (2) Epichloë strains differ in their allelopathic effect. We performed a greenhouse experiment using root exudates from Lolium perenne hosting different E. festucae var. lolii strains to compare their allelopathic effects on native legumes and forbs. We then used meta-analysis to examine the evidence to date for allelopathic effects of Epichloë endophytes. We found very little evidence for negative allelopathic effects of Epichloë in cool-season grasses across a range of methodologies, test plant species, and response measures, and there was little difference among E. festucae var. lolii strains. Negative allelopathic effects were detected only for root hair measures, which were from a single study. Positive effects on biomass were found for some experimental subgroups, including legumes. However, the majority of response variables showed no evidence for Epichloë allelopathy. Although there is currently little evidence for negative Epichloë allelopathic effects, our meta-analysis identified several research gaps. Experiments testing the functional belowground effects of Epichloë presence may help to determine its effects on non-host plant performance via plant-soil feedbacks. |
Subject
| Earth and Environmental Sciences |
Keyword
| allelopathy
endophyte
endosymbiosis
Epichloe
experiment
fungal endophyte
meta-analysis
mutualism
Neotyphodium
plant-soil feedback
Poideae
root exudates
soil conditioning
symbiosis |
Related Publication
| Hager, H. A., Gailis, M., & Newman, J. A. (2022). Allelopathic effects of Epichloë fungal endophytes: Experiment and meta-analysis. Plant and Soil. In press. https://doi.org/10.5683/SP3/VF5XWU doi: 10.5683/SP3/VF5XWU https://doi.org/10.5683/SP3/VF5XWU |
Notes
| The original publication (see Related Publication) and this data set should both be cited if these data are used; see the original publication for detailed methods. |
Language
| English |
Funding Information
| Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC): 303775
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs |
Distributor
| Agri-environmental Research Data Repository (University of Guelph) (AERDR) |
Depositor
| Hager, Heather A. |
Deposit Date
| 2021-10-19 |
Time Period
| Start Date: 2016 ; End Date: 2016 |
Date of Collection
| Start Date: 2016 ; End Date: 2016
Start Date: 2020-06-20 ; End Date: 2020-06-20 |
Data Type
| Experimental data (conducted in 2016); Meta-analytical data compiled from the literature and contributed by cited authors (Compiled on 2020-06-10) |
Software
| JMP
R |