Abstract
Systemic fungal endophytes of grasses can produce high concentrations of alkaloids that are known to deter invertebrate herbivores and reduce their abundance, especially in agronomic grasses. Grass endophytes may also influence invertebrate community diversity and composition. Here, we examined in a common garden experiment with wild tall fescue plants and the agronomic cultivar Kentucky 31, whether infection by Neotyphodium coenophialum, the genetic background (origin) of the host plant, abiotic factors, and their interactions affected the invertebrate communities living on tall fescue. We collected a total of 18650 invertebrates from the 480 tall fescue plants, identified them to 97 morphological taxa (mainly to family level) representing five feeding guilds (herbivores, detritivores, omnivores, predators and parasitoids). In contrast to past literature, endophyte infection did not affect abundances of any taxon or feeding guild, or taxonomic diversity and the composition of the invertebrate community. Instead, the invertebrate community of native tall fescue appears to be primarily driven by environmental conditions and niche differentiation among taxonomical groups of invertebrates. We propose that community approaches are required to understand of the role of endophytes on arthropod abundances and diversity in nature.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
The study collected 18650 invertebrates from 480 tall fescue plants.
- Taxon
- tall fescue
Lolium arundinaceume0 - Outcome
- invertebratese0
- Value
- 18650 invertebratese0
- Qualifier
- 480 tall fescue plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We collected a total of 18650 invertebrates from the 480 tall fescue plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Collected invertebrates represented 97 morphological taxa and five feeding guilds.
- Taxon
- tall fescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Outcome
- morphological taxae0
- Value
- 97 morphological taxae0
- Qualifier
- five feeding guildse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“identified them to 97 morphological taxa (mainly to family level) representing five feeding guilds”
t0“wild tall fescue plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Endophyte infection did not affect invertebrate abundance, diversity or composition.
- Taxon
- tall fescueLolium arundinaceumt0
- Treatment
- endophyte infectione0
- Interactor
- endophytee0symbiont
- Outcome
- abundances of any taxon or feeding guild, or taxonomic diversity and the composition of the invertebrate communitye0
- Direction
- did not affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“endophyte infection did not affect abundances of any taxon or feeding guild, or taxonomic diversity and the composition of the invertebrate community”
t0“invertebrate communities living on tall fescue”
Claim · model-written summary
Environmental conditions and invertebrate niche differentiation primarily drove native fescue communities.
- Taxon
- tall fescueLolium arundinaceume0
- Outcome
- invertebrate communitye0
- Setting
- environmental conditionse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the invertebrate community of native tall fescue appears to be primarily driven by environmental conditions and niche differentiation among taxonomical groups of invertebrates”
The same questions in other papers
infection · pest · Lolium arundinaceum (tall fescue)Positive and negative results
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- positive
- no effect
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inoculation · pest · Lolium arundinaceum (tall fescue)Positive and negative results
5 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
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4 papers more in this group
See all 8 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.