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Effects of Epichloë endophytes on litter decomposition--depending on different host species

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Abstract

Aims

Grass fungal endophyte symbioses are widespread in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau grasslands. The symbioses with fungal endophytes would likely have an important role in affecting ecosystem functioning (e.g., carbon and nutrients cycling, and primary productivity) It is necessary to understand the role of fungal endophytes in the litter decomposition as well as the nutrient transition of ecosystem in which endophyte host species are abundant.

Methods

Taking Festuca sinensis, Stipa purpurea and Achnatherum inebrians as study objects, litterbag method was used to compare the litter decomposition of these species with / without endophyte (E+ and E-). The changes in litter weight, total nitrogen, lignin and cellulose contents and their residual rate during the decomposition process were estimated in this study. The microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen of soil under litters were also compared.

Results

The litter from E+ F. sinensis and S. purpurea decomposed more quickly along with the cellulose compared with E-. The contents and residual rates of nitrogen and lignin in the F. sinensis and S. purpurea litters had no apparent trend of change. The microbial biomass nitrogen of soil under the E+ F. sinensis and S. purpurea litters was higher than that of the E- litters. Alternatively, the rates of decomposition and degradation of lignin were lower in the E+ A. inebrians litter than those of the E- litter. The endophyte decreased the microbial biomass carbon of soil under A. inebrians litter.

Conclusions

Endophytes will affect litter decomposition of host plants. Different grass-endophyte symbioses had different decomposition rates. Our results will enhance the knowledge of the role of endophytes in ecological progress of grassland.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31700098, 32060398), the Natural Science Foundation of Qinghai Province (2019-ZJ-967Q) and Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Forage Germplasm utilization on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (2020-ZJ-Y03). The authors would like to thank Liu Yan, Yin Yali, and Zhao Wen for their help with the collection and analysis of samples.

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai Academy of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, China

    Meiling Song, Yuqin Wang, Hongsheng Wang, Gensheng Bao & Xiuzhang Li

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  1. Meiling Song
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Song, M., Wang, Y., Wang, H. et al. Effects of Epichloë endophytes on litter decomposition--depending on different host species. Plant Soil 471, 715–728 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-05235-x

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