Summary
Many grasses are infected by endophytic fungi that grow intercellularly in leaves, stems, and flowers and are transmitted maternally by hyphal growth into ovules and seeds. The seed biology and seedling growth of endophyte-infected and uninfected perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) were investigated under controlled environmental conditions. The percentage of filled seeds produced by infected tall fescue was over twice of uninfected tall fescue; infected and uninfected perennial reegrass had similar percentages. Weights of seeds from infected and uninfected plants were similar in both species. Seeds from infected plants of both species exhibited a higher rate of germination than seeds from uninfected plants. Shoot growth in the greenhouse was compared by making three sequential harvests of above-ground plant parts from infected and uninfected plants of both species. Infected perennial ryegrass plants produced significantly more biomass and tillers than uninfected plants after 6 and 10 weeks of growth and significantly more biomass after 14 weeks of growth. Infected tall fescue plants produced significantly more biomass and tillers than uninfected plants after 10 and 14 weeks of growth. The physiological mechanism of enhancement of growth is not known. The results of this study suggest that infected plants may have a selective advantage in populations with uninfected members.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Antonovics J, Clay K, Schmitt J (1987) The measurement of smallscale environmental heterogeneity using clonal transplants of Anthoxanthum odoratum and Danthonia spicata. Oecologia 71:601–607
Bacon CW, Porter JK, Robbins JD, Luttrell ES (1977) Epichloe typhina from toxic tall fescue grasses. Appl Env Microbiol 34:576–581
Bradshaw AD (1959) Population differentiation in Agrostis tenuis Sibth. II. The incidence and significance of infection by Epichloe typhina. New Phytol 58:310–315
Clark EM, White JF, Patterson RM (1983) Improved histochemical techniques for the detection of Acremonium coenophialum in tall fescue and methods of in vitro culture of the fungus. J Microbiol Meth 1:149–155
Clay K (1984) The effect of the fungus Atkinsonella hypoxylon (Clavicipitaceae) on the reproductive system and demography of the grass Danthonia spicata. New Phytol 98:165–175
Clay K (1986a) Grass Endophytes. In: Microbiology of the Phyllosphere, Fokkema NJ, van den Heuvel J (eds) Cambridge University Press London, pp 188–204
Clay K (1986b) Induced vivipary in Cyperus virens and the transmission of the fungus Balansia cyperi. Can J Bot 64:2984–2988
Clay K, Hardy TN, Hammond AM Jr (1985) Fungal endophytes of grasses and their effects on an insect herbivore. Oecologia 66:1–6
Diehl WW (1950) Balansia and the Balansiae in America. Agric. Monogr. 4. U.S.D.A., Washington, D.C.
Funk CR, Halisky PM, Johnson MC, Siegel MR, Stewart AV, Ahmad S, Hurley IC, Harvey IC (1983) An endophytic fungus and resistance to sod webworms: association in Lolium perenne L. Bio/Technology 1:189–191
Gaynor DL, Hunt WF (1983) The relationship between nitrogen supply, endophytic fungus and Argentine stem weevil resistance in ryegrasses. Proc N Z Grassland Assoc 44:257–263
Harper JL (1977) Population Biology of Plants. Academic Press, New York
Johnson MC, Dahlman DL, Siegel MR, Bush LP, Latch GCM, Potter DA, Varney DR (1985) Insect feeding deterrents in endophyte-infected tall fescue. Appl Env Microbiol 49:568–571
Kelley SE, Clay K (1987) Interspecific competitive interactions and the maintenance of genotypic variation within the populations of two perennial grasses. Evolution 41:92–103
Latch GCM (1987) Incidence of endophytes in seeds from collections of Lolium and Festuca species. Ann App Biol (in press)
Latch GCM, Christensen MJ, Samuels GJ (1984) Five endophytes of Lolium and Festuca in New Zealand. Mycotaxon 20:535–550
Latch GCM, Hunt WF, Musgrave DR (1985) Endophytic fungi affect growth of perennial ryegrass. NZJ Agric Res 28:165–168
Lewis DH (1973) The relevance of symbiosis to taxonomy and ecology with particular reference to mutualistic symbioses and the exploitation of marginal habitats. In: Taxonomy and Ecology, Heywood VH (ed) Academic Press, London. pp 151–172
Morgan-Jones G, Gams W (1982) Notes on hyphomycetes. XLI. An endophyte of Festuca arundinacea and the anamorph of Epichloe typhina, new taxa in one of the two new sections of Acremonium. Mycotaxon 15:311–318
Mortimer PH, di Menna ME (1983) Ryegrass staggers: further substantiation of a Lolium endophyte aetiology and the discovery of weevil resistance of ryegrass pastures infected with Lolium endophyte. Proc NZ Grassland Assoc 44:240–243
Neill JC (1940) The endophyte of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) NZJ Sci Tech 21:280–291
Neill JC (1941) The endophytes of Lolium and Festuca. NZJ Sci Tech 23:185–193
Neill JC (1952) Note on agronomic effect of the endophyte. NZJ Sci Tech A 34:230
Porter JK, Bacon CW, Cutler HG, Arrendale RF, Robbins JD (1985) In vitro auxin production by Balansia epichloe. Phytochemistry 24:1429–1431
Read JC, Camp BJ (1986) The effect of the fungal endophyte Acremonium coenophialum in tall fescue on animal performance, toxicity, and stand maintenance. Agron J 78:848–850
Rycyk F Jr., Sharpe D (1984) Infection of tall fescue seed in Missouri by the endophyte Epichloe typhina. Plant Dis 68:1099
Sampson K (1933) The systematic infection of grasses by Epichloe typhina (Pers.) Tul. Trans British Mycol Soc 18:30–47
Siegel MC, Johnson MC, Varney DR, Nesmith WC, Buckner RC, Bush LP, Burrus PB, Jones TA, Boling JA (1984) A fungal endophyte in tall fescue: incidence and dissemination. Phytopathology 74:932–937
Siegel MC, Latch GCM, Johnson MC (1985) Acremonium fungal endophytes of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass: significance and control. Plant Dis 69:79–83
Siegel S (1956) Non-parametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. McGraw-Hill, New York
Stewart AV (1985) Perennial ryegrass seedling resistance to Argentine stem weevil. NZJ Agric Res 28:403–407
Welty RE, Azevedo MD (1985) Survival of endophyte hyphae in seeds of tall fescue stored one year. Phytopathology 75:1331
White JF (1987) The widespread distribution of endophytes in the Poaceae. Plant Dis 71:340–342
White JF, Cole GT (1985) Endophyte-host associations in forage grasses. I. Distribution of fungal endophytes in some species of Lolium and Festuca. Mycologia 77:323–327
White JF, Cole GT (1986) Endophyte-host associations in forage grasses. V. Occurrence of fungal endophytes in certain species of Bromus and Poa. Mycologia 78:852–856
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Clay, K. Effects of fungal endophytes on the seed and seedling biology of Lolium perenne and Festuca arundinacea . Oecologia 73, 358–362 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00385251
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00385251