A foliar endophyte increases the diversity of phosphorus-solubilizing rizospheric fungi and mycorrhizal colonization in the wild grass Bromus auleticus

ARRIETA, A.M.; IANNONE, L.J.; SCERVINO, J.M.; VIGNALE, M.V.; NOVAS, M.V.

FUNGAL ECOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2015

1754-5048

of their hosts and modify the surrounding environment. To test the hypothesis that thissymbiotic association increases the abundance and diversity of phosphate-solubilizingfungi (PSF), a pot experiment was conducted combining two endophytic statuses: Epichlo€einfected(Eþ) and non-infected (E) Bromus auleticus plants, and two soil types collectedfrom agricultural (A) and non-agricultural (NA) fields. Soil fungi were isolated at thebeginning of the experiment and 12 months after the introduction of B. auleticus, and testedfor their inorganic P (Pi)-solubilizing capability. Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization in B.auleticus roots of Eþ and E plants was also analyzed. PSF abundance was affected by theendophytic status and by the type of soil; the highest value was detected in the ENAtreatment, followed by the EþA treatment. PSF diversity was higher in NA than in A soilsand higher in soils treated with Eþ than in those treated with E. Arbuscular mycorrhizalfungi colonization was higher in Eþ plants. We hypothesize that the positive associationbetween Epichlo€e endophytes and mycorrhizal fungi with an increase in the PSF diversitywould generate an increase in the phosphorus (P) available to plants.