2016
Afkhami, Michelle E.; Strauss, Sharon Y.
Native fungal endophytes suppress an exotic dominant and increase plant diversity over small and large spatial scales Journal Article
In: Ecology, vol. 97, no. 5, pp. 1159–1169, 2016.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: biodiversity, Bromus laevipes, Epichloë, evenness, fungal endophyte, grass, hidden players, invasive species, keystone species, mutualism, richness, symbiosis
@article{Afkhami2016,
title = {Native fungal endophytes suppress an exotic dominant and increase plant diversity over small and large spatial scales},
author = {Michelle E. Afkhami and Sharon Y. Strauss},
url = {https://angelo.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/59/Afkhami_2016_Eco.pdf},
doi = {10.1890/15-1166.1},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-01},
journal = {Ecology},
volume = {97},
number = {5},
pages = {1159–1169},
abstract = {Understanding community dynamics and processes, such as the factors that
generate and maintain biodiversity, drive succession, and affect invasion susceptibility, is
a central goal in ecology and evolution. While most studies of how species interactions
affect communities have focused on highly visible macroorganisms, we show that mutualistic
microfungal endophytes have community-level effects across their host plant’s range and
provide the first example of fungal endophytes enhancing plant diversity. A three-year
field study in which we experimentally manipulated endophyte abundance in a native
Californian grass showed that despite their minute biomass, endophytes dramatically increased
plant community diversity (~110% greater increase with endophytes) by suppressing a
dominant invasive grass, Bromus diandrus. This effect was also detectable, but smaller,
across five additional common gardens spanning ecologically diverse habitats, different
climates, and >400 km of the host grass’ range as well as at microspatial scales within
gardens. Our study illustrates that mutualistic microbes, while often hidden players, can
have unexpectedly large ecological impacts across a wide range of habitats and scales and
may be important for promoting diverse communities and ecosystems.},
keywords = {biodiversity, Bromus laevipes, Epichloë, evenness, fungal endophyte, grass, hidden players, invasive species, keystone species, mutualism, richness, symbiosis},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Understanding community dynamics and processes, such as the factors that
generate and maintain biodiversity, drive succession, and affect invasion susceptibility, is
a central goal in ecology and evolution. While most studies of how species interactions
affect communities have focused on highly visible macroorganisms, we show that mutualistic
microfungal endophytes have community-level effects across their host plant’s range and
provide the first example of fungal endophytes enhancing plant diversity. A three-year
field study in which we experimentally manipulated endophyte abundance in a native
Californian grass showed that despite their minute biomass, endophytes dramatically increased
plant community diversity (~110% greater increase with endophytes) by suppressing a
dominant invasive grass, Bromus diandrus. This effect was also detectable, but smaller,
across five additional common gardens spanning ecologically diverse habitats, different
climates, and >400 km of the host grass’ range as well as at microspatial scales within
gardens. Our study illustrates that mutualistic microbes, while often hidden players, can
have unexpectedly large ecological impacts across a wide range of habitats and scales and
may be important for promoting diverse communities and ecosystems.
generate and maintain biodiversity, drive succession, and affect invasion susceptibility, is
a central goal in ecology and evolution. While most studies of how species interactions
affect communities have focused on highly visible macroorganisms, we show that mutualistic
microfungal endophytes have community-level effects across their host plant’s range and
provide the first example of fungal endophytes enhancing plant diversity. A three-year
field study in which we experimentally manipulated endophyte abundance in a native
Californian grass showed that despite their minute biomass, endophytes dramatically increased
plant community diversity (~110% greater increase with endophytes) by suppressing a
dominant invasive grass, Bromus diandrus. This effect was also detectable, but smaller,
across five additional common gardens spanning ecologically diverse habitats, different
climates, and >400 km of the host grass’ range as well as at microspatial scales within
gardens. Our study illustrates that mutualistic microbes, while often hidden players, can
have unexpectedly large ecological impacts across a wide range of habitats and scales and
may be important for promoting diverse communities and ecosystems.