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Fungal endophytes: diversity and functional roles
Author(s) -
Rodriguez R. J.,
White Jr J. F.,
Arnold A. E.,
Redman R. S.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02773.x
Subject(s) - biology , abiotic component , endophyte , biodiversity , plant use of endophytic fungi in defense , ecology , abiotic stress , colonization , symbiosis , ecosystem , host (biology) , biotic component , mycorrhizal fungi , biomass (ecology) , botany , bacteria , inoculation , biochemistry , genetics , immunology , gene
Summary All plants in natural ecosystems appear to be symbiotic with fungal endophytes. This highly diverse group of fungi can have profound impacts on plant communities through increasing fitness by conferring abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, increasing biomass and decreasing water consumption, or decreasing fitness by altering resource allocation. Despite more than 100 yr of research resulting in thousands of journal articles, the ecological significance of these fungi remains poorly characterized. Historically, two endophytic groups (clavicipitaceous (C) and nonclavicipitaceous (NC)) have been discriminated based on phylogeny and life history traits. Here, we show that NC‐endophytes represent three distinct functional groups based on host colonization and transmission, in planta biodiversity and fitness benefits conferred to hosts. Using this framework, we contrast the life histories, interactions with hosts and potential roles in plant ecophysiology of C‐ and NC‐endophytes, and highlight several key questions for future work in endophyte biology.ContentsSummary 314 I. Introduction 314 II. Clavicipitaceous endophytes (Class 1) 316 III. Nonclavicipitaceous endophytes 319 IV. Class 2 endophytes 319 V. Class 3 endophytes 321 VI. Class 4 endophytes 323 VII. Conclusions 325Acknowledgements 326References 326