A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä
Epichloe Endophytes Alter Inducible Indirect Defences in Host Grasses
Tekijät: Tao Li, James D. Blande, Pedro E. Gundel, Marjo Helander, Kari Saikkonen
Kustantaja: PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
Julkaisuvuosi: 2014
Journal: PLoS ONE
Tietokannassa oleva lehden nimi: PLOS ONE
Lehden akronyymi: PLOS ONE
Artikkelin numero: e101331
Vuosikerta: 9
Numero: 6
Sivujen määrä: 11
ISSN: 1932-6203
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101331
Rinnakkaistallenteen osoite: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/3079514
Epichloe endophytes are common symbionts living asymptomatically in pooid grasses and may provide chemical defences against herbivorous insects. While the mechanisms underlying these fungal defences have been well studied, it remains unknown whether endophyte presence affects the host's own defences. We addressed this issue by examining variation in the impact of Epichloe on constitutive and herbivore-induced emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC), a well-known indirect plant defence, between two grass species, Schedonorus phoenix (ex. Festuca arundinacea; tall fescue) and Festuca pratensis (meadow fescue). We found that feeding by a generalist aphid species, Rhopalosiphum padi, induced VOC emissions by uninfected plants of both grass species but to varying extents, while mechanical wounding failed to do so in both species after one day of damage. Interestingly, regardless of damage treatment, Epichloe uncinata-infected F. pratensis emitted significantly lower quantities of VOCs than their uninfected counterparts. In contrast, Epichloe coenophiala-infected S. phoenix did not differ from their uninfected counterparts in constitutive VOC emissions but tended to increase VOC emissions under intense aphid feeding. A multivariate analysis showed that endophyte status imposed stronger differences in VOC profiles of F. pratensis than damage treatment, while the reverse was true for S. phoenix. Additionally, both endophytes inhibited R. padi population growth as measured by aphid dry biomass, with the inhibition appearing greater in E. uncinata-infected F. pratensis. Our results suggest, not only that Epichloe endophytes may play important roles in mediating host VOC responses to herbivory, but also that the magnitude and direction of such responses may vary with the identity of the Epichloe-grass symbiosis. Whether Epichloe-mediated host VOC responses will eventually translate into effects on higher trophic levels merits future investigation.
Ladattava julkaisu This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |