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




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

PublisherSPRINGER

2015

BioControl

BIOCONTROL

BIOCONTROL

60

5

655

667

13

1386-6141

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



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