Co-colonization of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and Epichloë endophyte bolsters anti-herbivore defenses in Lolium perenne
The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), a significant insect pest characterized by its piercing-sucking feeding pattern, severely impairs plant growth and productivity, leading to substantial economic losses. While arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) and Epichloë endophyte is associated with enhancing...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-10-01
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| Series: | Biological Control |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964425001720 |
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| Summary: | The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), a significant insect pest characterized by its piercing-sucking feeding pattern, severely impairs plant growth and productivity, leading to substantial economic losses. While arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) and Epichloë endophyte is associated with enhancing host plant resistance to insect infestations, research on their dual colonization and its impact on insect infestation remains limited. Our study investigated the effects of co-colonization of AMF Rhizophagus intraradices, and Epichloë festucae var. lolii endophyte on ryegrass response to aphid infestation. We quantified nutrient allocation dynamics, symbiotic efficiency, and defense-related enzyme activities to elucidate physiological trade-offs between growth maintenance and anti-herbivore defense strategies under dual symbiont colonization. Our findings revealed that aphid infestation significantly reduced plant growth, shoot phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) contents, and mycorrhizal P responsiveness. However, co-colonization by AMF and Epichloë endophyte effectively reversed these negative effects. There are significant interactions among AMF, Epichloë endophyte and aphids, E. festucae var. lolii alone reduced mycorrhizal colonization, while aphid infestation notably increased it. Interestingly, the combined presence of aphid infestation and E. festucae var. lolii led to the highest AMF colonization levels in Lolium perenne. Both R. intraradices and Epichloë endophyte, whether individually or in combination, effectively mitigated aphid feeding damage. Tripartite interactions among R. intraradices, Epichloë endophytes, and A. pisum significantly affected chitinase activity. Furthermore, the combined presence of R. intraradices and E. festucae var. lolii augmented superoxide dismutase and β-1,3-glucanase activities under aphid attack. Our results offer insights into the complex symbiotic relationships between plants, symbiotic fungi, and herbivores, underscoring the potential of AMF-Epichloë associations to bolster anti-herbivore defenses. |
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| ISSN: | 1049-9644 |