Dataset Information

Novel root fungal consortium associated with a dominant desert grass.

ABSTRACT: The broad distribution and high colonization rates of plant roots by a variety of endophytic fungi suggest that these symbionts have an important role in the function of ecosystems. Semiarid and arid lands cover more than one-third of the terrestrial ecosystems on Earth. However, a limited number of studies have been conducted to characterize root-associated fungal communities in semiarid grasslands. We conducted a study of the fungal community associated with the roots of a dominant grass, Bouteloua gracilis, at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. Internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA sequences from roots collected in May 2005, October 2005, and January 2006 were amplified using fungal-specific primers, and a total of 630 sequences were obtained, 69% of which were novel (less than 97% similarity with respect to sequences in the NCBI database). B. gracilis roots were colonized by at least 10 different orders, including endophytic, coprophilous, mycorrhizal, saprophytic, and plant pathogenic fungi. A total of 51 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found, and diversity estimators did not show saturation. Despite the high diversity found within B. gracilis roots, the root-associated fungal community is dominated by a novel group of dark septate fungi (DSF) within the order Pleosporales. Microscopic analysis confirmed that B. gracilis roots are highly colonized by DSF. Other common orders colonizing the roots included Sordariales, Xylariales, and Agaricales. By contributing to drought tolerance and nutrient acquisition, DSF may be integral to the function of arid ecosystems.

SUBMITTER: Porras-Alfaro A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2394874 | biostudies-literature | 2008 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Novel root fungal consortium associated with a dominant desert grass.

Porras-Alfaro Andrea A Herrera Jose J Sinsabaugh Robert L RL Odenbach Kylea J KJ Lowrey Timothy T Natvig Donald O DO

Applied and environmental microbiology 20080314 9

The broad distribution and high colonization rates of plant roots by a variety of endophytic fungi suggest that these symbionts have an important role in the function of ecosystems. Semiarid and arid lands cover more than one-third of the terrestrial ecosystems on Earth. However, a limited number of studies have been conducted to characterize root-associated fungal communities in semiarid grasslands. We conducted a study of the fungal community associated with the roots of a dominant grass, Bout ...[more]

PMID: 18344349

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Although a number of recent studies have uncovered remarkable diversity of microbes associated with plants, understanding and managing dynamics of plant microbiomes remain major scientific challenges. In this respect, network analytical methods have provided a basis for exploring "hub" microbial species, which potentially organize community-scale processes of plant-microbe interactions. METHODS:By compiling Illumina sequencing data of root-associated fungi in eight forest ecosystems across the Japanese Archipelago, we explored hubs within "metacommunity-scale" networks of plant-fungus associations. In total, the metadata included 8080 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) detected from 227 local populations of 150 plant species/taxa. RESULTS:Few fungal OTUs were common across all the eight forests. However, in each of the metacommunity-scale networks representing northern four localities or southern four localities, diverse mycorrhizal, endophytic, and pathogenic fungi were classified as "metacommunity hubs," which were detected from diverse host plant taxa throughout a climatic region. Specifically, Mortierella (Mortierellales), Cladophialophora (Chaetothyriales), Ilyonectria (Hypocreales), Pezicula (Helotiales), and Cadophora (incertae sedis) had broad geographic and host ranges across the northern (cool-temperate) region, while Saitozyma/Cryptococcus (Tremellales/Trichosporonales) and Mortierella as well as some arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were placed at the central positions of the metacommunity-scale network representing warm-temperate and subtropical forests in southern Japan. CONCLUSIONS:The network theoretical framework presented in this study will help us explore prospective fungi and bacteria, which have high potentials for agricultural application to diverse plant species within each climatic region. As some of those fungal taxa with broad geographic and host ranges have been known to promote the survival and growth of host plants, further studies elucidating their functional roles are awaited.

Project description:In several terrestrial ecosystems such as grasslands, plants live together with various root-colonizing dark septate endophytes (DSEs), fungi that are relatively frequent colonizers of healthy belowground tissues of plants in these environments. They are important members of the plant microbiota and may have various effects on plant survival under different stress conditions; however, their general functions in relation to plants and the greater ecosystem remain elusive. Although an increasing number of studies has been published focusing on DSEs in Asian grasslands, our knowledge is limited. Especially in Mongolia, where the steppe region represents a significant area, information is not available on these root colonizers. In this study, we aimed to characterize DSEs of a common dominant gramineous plant species, Stipa krylovii in a semiarid grassland of Mongolia. Root samples were collected in a natural steppe and were processed for isolation of fungal endophytes. For molecular identification of the isolates, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nrDNA was obtained for all the isolates investigated; furthermore, the partial translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF) gene and large subunit (LSU) and small subunit (SSU) of rDNA were also amplified and sequenced in case of representative isolates. In vitro tests were used to examine the rough symbiotic nature of the fungi, and root colonization was visualized. A majority of the 135 isolates examined in detail was found to belong to several orders of Ascomycota (110 isolates) and some to Basidiomycota (25 isolates). A significant number of the isolates represented presumably novel taxa, and dominant similarities of the lineages have been found with relatively frequent and known grass root endophytes of semiarid areas in other geographic regions. These endophytes included Periconia macrospinosa, Microdochium bolley, and Darksidea, the genus of which comprised one fourth of the isolates. We found numerous lineages, which have been detected not only from Asian steppe ecosystems, but also from prairies in North America and sandy grasslands in Europe. Therefore, our results strengthen the hypothesized worldwide presence of a common and dominant core group of a DSE community in arid and semiarid grasslands.

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Novel root fungal consortium associated with a dominant desert grass.

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Novel root fungal consortium associated with a dominant desert grass.

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