A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Nutritional niche overlap potentiates the use of endophytes in biocontrol of a tree disease




AuthorsBlumenstein K, Albrectsen BR, Martin JA, Hultberg M, Sieber TN, Helander M, Witzell J

PublisherSPRINGER

Publication year2015

JournalBioControl

Journal name in sourceBIOCONTROL

Journal acronymBIOCONTROL

Volume60

Issue5

First page 655

Last page667

Number of pages13

ISSN1386-6141

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-015-9668-1


Abstract

Asymptomatic endophytic fungi are often regarded as potent biocontrol agents in plants, but the competitive interactions between endophytes and other microbes within the same host plant are poorly understood. We tested a hypothesis that as compared to asymptomatic endophytes, an aggressive pathogen inhabiting the same host is able to utilize carbon substrates more efficiently. Using phenotype microarray, we determined the carbon utilization profiles of the highly virulent Dutch elm disease (DED) pathogen Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, and four asymptomatic elm (Ulmus spp.) endophyte isolates that were selected based on their differential association to the DED-susceptibility pattern of the host elms. The competitive interactions between isolates were evaluated using a niche overlap index. In contrast to our hypothesis, the studied endophytes exhibited extensive niche overlap with the pathogen, suggesting that some endophyte strains might protect elms against DED-pathogen through competition for substrates and provide new tools for biocontrol of DED.




Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 22:41