Effects of Epichloë infection on the diversity and productivity of Achnatherum sibiricum community under various nutrient and mowing conditions

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2018.0242

Abstract

Abstract: Aims

Epichloë infection can affect the intraspecific and interspecific competitive ability of the host plants. However, few studies have been reported on the effects of endophyte infection on the diversity and productivity of host communities.

Methods

We used endophyte-infected (E+) and uninfected (E-) Achnatherum sibiricum, plus five other common species in its native community to construct a microcosm plant community to investigate the community-level consequences of endophyte interactions under different nutrient and mowing treatments.

Important findings

Community-level consequences of endophyte infection depend on the mowing treatment. Endophyte infection did not alter plant community diversity under non-mowing conditions. Under mowing conditions, however, endophyte infection significantly increased the diversity by increasing the abundance of lower abundance species such as Agropyron cristatum and Stipa grandis, while decreasing the abundance of dominant species such as Leymus chinensis. No significant endophyte effect on the productivity of plant community was found. With respect to nutrient treatments, we found that nutrient addition had no significant effect either on the diversity or productivity of the plant community. The positive effect of endophyte on A. sibiricum occurred only under nutrient addition treatment in the host species level.

Key words: fungal endophyte, Achnatherum sibiricum, community diversity, productivity, abundance

WU Man, LI Juan-Juan, LIU Jin-Ming, REN An-Zhi, GAO Yu-Bao. Effects of Epichloë infection on the diversity and productivity of Achnatherum sibiricum community under various nutrient and mowing conditions[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2019, 43(2): 85-93.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2018.0242

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2019/V43/I2/85

Figures/Tables 5

Fig. 1 Effects of endophyte infection on Shannon’s diversity index of host plant communities under no-mowing (M-) and mowing (M+) conditions (mean + SE, n = 5). E+, endophyte- infected; E-, endophyte-uninfected. **, p < 0.01; ns, p > 0.05.

Fig. 2 Effects of endophyte infection and nitrogen addition on the aboveground shoot biomass of host plant communities (mean + SE, n = 5). E+, endophyte-infected; E-, endophyte- uninfected; N-, no-nitrogen addition; N+, nitrogen addition. Different lowercase letters mean significant difference between E+ and E- plants community (p < 0.05).

Fig. 3 Effects of endophyte infection on the species abundance under no-mowing (M-) and mowing (M+) conditions (mean + SE, n = 5). E+, endophyte-infected; E-, endophyte- uninfected. AC, Agropyron cristatum; AF, Artemisia frigida; AS, Achnatherum sibiricum; CS, Cleistogenes squarrosa; LC, Leymus chinensis; SG, Stipa grandis. The asterisk denotes significant difference between E+ and E- plants, *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001.

Fig. 4 Effects of endophyte infection on the abundance of Leymus chinensis (A) and Achnatherum sibiricum (B-D). B, nitrogen addition. C, phosphorus addition. D, mowing treatment (mean + SE, n = 5). E-, endophyte-uninfected; E+, endophyte-infected; M-, no-mowing; M+, mowing; N-, no-nitrogen addition; N+, nitrogen addition; P-, no-phosphorus addition; P+, phosphorus addition. Different lowercase letters denote significant difference between E+ and E- plants (p < 0.05).

Fig. 5 Effects of phosphorus addition on P concentration of the soil (A) and dominant plant species (B-D). B, Achnatherum sibiricum. C, Leymus chinensis. D, Artemisia frigida (mean + SE, n = 5). E-, endophyte-uninfected; E+, endophyte-infected; P-, no-phosphorus addition; P+, phosphorus addition. ***, p < 0.001.

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