Foliar Endophytic Fungal Communities Are Driven by Leaf Traits-Evidence From a Temperate Tree Diversity Experiment.

ABSTRACT: Fungal endophyte communities are mainly driven by host plant identity and geographic location. However, little is known about interactions between endophytes and characteristics of the host plant such as leaf functional traits, which vary both among and within host species. Previous studies focused on a limited number of host plant species and did not control for varying conditions in the host's neighborhood, which affect leaf functional traits and, in turn, might affect fungal endophyte communities. Using a tree diversity experiment in which all trees grow under standardized conditions, we were able to assess the contributions of host tree identity, host neighborhood species richness, and host community composition as well as the variation of leaf traits caused by these factors on taxonom

SUBMITTER: Kohler M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12268234 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature