Culturable fungal endophyte communities of primary successional plants on Mount St. Helens, WA, USA.

ABSTRACT:

Background

While a considerable amount of research has explored plant community composition in primary successional systems, little is known about the microbial communities inhabiting these pioneer plant species. Fungal endophytes are ubiquitous within plants, and may play major roles in early successional ecosystems. Specifically, endophytes have been shown to affect successional processes, as well as alter host stress tolerance and litter decomposition dynamics-both of which are important components in harsh environments where soil organic matter is still scarce.

Results

To determine possible contributions of fungal endophytes to plant colonization patterns, we surveyed six of the most common woody species on the Pumice Plain of Mount St. Helens (WA, USA; Lawetlat'la in th

SUBMITTER: Wolfe ER 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8845407 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature