Record ID No. |
734 |
Author(s) |
Herre, E.A., Mejia, L.C., Kyllo, D.A., Rojas, E., Maynard, Z., Butler, A., Van Bael, S.A. , 2007 |
Affiliation |
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, APO AA,Unit 0948, Miami, FL 34002 |
Title |
Ecological implications of anti-pathogen effects of tropical fungal endophytes and mycorrhizae. |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
Ecology, 88(3),550-558p. |
Categories |
Arbuscular Mycorrhiza |
Subjects |
Biological Interaction |
Sub-subjects |
Pathogens |
Host |
Theobroma cacao |
Organism |
Phytophthora palmivora, endophytic fungi, foliar |
Country |
Florida, N.America |
Abstracts |
We discuss studies of foliar endophytic fungi (FEF) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated with Theobroma cacao in Panama. Direct, experimentally controlled comparisons of endophyte free (E-) and endophyte containing (E+) plant tissues in T. cacao show that foliar endophytes ( FEF) that commonly occur in healthy host leaves enhance host defenses against foliar damage due to the pathogen ( Phytophthora palmivora). Similarly, root inoculations with commonly occurring AMF also reduce foliar damage due to the same pathogen. These results suggest that endophytic fungi can play a potentially important mutualistic role by augmenting host defensive responses against pathogens. There are two broad classes of potential mechanisms by which endophytes could contribute to host protection: (1) inducing or increasing the expression of intrinsic host defense mechanisms and (2) providing additional sources of defense, extrinsic to those of the host ( e. g., endophyte-based chemical antibiosis). The degree to which either of these mechanisms predominates holds distinct consequences for the evolutionary ecology of host-endophyte-pathogen relationships. More generally, the growing recognition that plants are composed of a mosaic of plant and fungal tissues holds a series of implications for the study of plant defense, physiology, and genetics. |