Dark septate endophyte improves salt tolerance of native and invasive lineages of Phragmites australis.

ABSTRACT: Fungal endophytes can improve plant tolerance to abiotic stress. However, the role of these plant-fungal interactions in invasive species ecology and their management implications remain unclear. This study characterized the fungal endophyte communities of native and invasive lineages of Phragmites australis and assessed the role of dark septate endophytes (DSE) in salt tolerance of this species. We used Illumina sequencing to characterize root fungal endophytes of contiguous stands of native and invasive P. australis along a salinity gradient. DSE colonization was assessed throughout the growing season in the field, and effects of fungal inoculation on salinity tolerance were investigated using laboratory and greenhouse studies. Native and invasive lineages had distinct fungal endophyte c

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez Mateu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7367851 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature