Effects of environment and host on endophyte communities of coastal dune grasses
A. S. DAVID (1), E. W. Seabloom (1), G. May (1). (1) University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.
Endophytic fungi represent a large portion of fungal diversity, though relatively little is known about their ecology. Communities of endophytes are shaped by a number of factors such as the environment external to the host and the host species. In particular, the relative influence of different factors on endophyte assembly is not well understood. To examine how environmental and host factors contribute to endophyte assembly, we conducted an observational study of endophytes occurring in three U.S. Northwest coastal dune grasses (<i>Ammophila arenaria</i>, <i>A. breviligulata</i>, and <i>Elymus mollis</i>). Coastal dunes provide a natural environmental gradient consisting of a harsh foredune that gives way to more stable backdune habitat. We used a culture based approach to investigate how endophyte communities in the leaves and roots changed along the dune gradient. We found support for a strong environmental influence on assembly, as endophyte operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness increased from the foredune to the backdune. We found less support that host species influences assembly, as the grass species shared several endophyte OTUs and varied less in richness. We conclude that the environment is a strong influence in shaping endophyte communities in coastal dune grasses.
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