Alkaloid Variation Among Epichloid Endophytes of Sleepygrass (Achnatherum robustum) and Consequences for Resistance to Insect Herbivores |
2014 |
2411 |
Epichloid endophytes are well known symbionts of many cool-season grasses that may alleviate environmental stresses for their hosts. For example, endophytes produce alkaloid compounds that may be toxic to invertebrate or vertebrate herbivores. Achnat... |
Altertoxins with potent anti-HIV activity from Alternaria tenuissimaQUE1Se, a fungal endophyte of Quercus emoryi |
2014 |
1727 |
Screening of a small library of natural product extracts derived from endophytic fungi of the Sonoran desert plants in a cell-based anti-HIV assay involving T-cells infected with the HIV-1 virus identified the EtOAc extract of a fermentation broth of... |
Anti-insect defenses of Achnatherum robustum (sleepygrass) provided by two Epichloë endophyte species |
2018 |
377 |
Many pooid grasses (Poaceae) harbor Epichloë species (Hypocreales), endophytic fungi that often produce toxic alkaloids which may provide anti-insect protection for their hosts. Two natural populations of Achnatherum robustum (Vasey) (sleepygrass), i... |
Asexual endophytes and associated alkaloids alter arthropod community structure and increase herbivore abundances on a native grass |
2010 |
78 |
Despite their minute biomass, microbial symbionts of plants potentially alter herbivory, diversity and community structure. Infection of grasses by asexual endophytic fungi often decreases herbivore loads and alters arthropod diversity. However, most... |
Asexual Endophytes in a Native Grass: Tradeoffs in Mortality, Growth, Reproduction, and Alkaloid Production |
2010 |
1987 |
Neotyphodium endophytes are asexual, seed-borne fungal symbionts that are thought to interact mutualistically with their grass hosts. Benefits include increased growth, reproduction, and resistance to herbivores via endophytic alkaloids. Although the... |
Bottom–up regulates top–down: the effects of hybridization of grass endophytes on an aphid herbivore and its generalist predator |
2014 |
1796 |
The ecological consequences of hybridization of microbial symbionts are largely unknown. We tested the hypothesis that hybridization of microbial symbionts of plants can negatively affect performance of herbivores and their natural enemies. In additi... |
Comparison of electrospray ionization and atmospheric pressure photoionization liquid chromatography mass spectrometry methods for analysis of ergot alkaloids from endophyte-infected sleepygrass (Achnatherum robustum) |
2016 |
1294 |
Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins with an array of biological effects. With this study, we investigated for the first time the application of atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) as an ionization method for LC–MS analysis of ergot alkaloids, and ... |
Control of Arthropod Abundance, Richness, and Composition in a Heterogeneous Desert City |
2012 |
1581 |
There is a demand for mechanistic studies to explore underlying drivers behind observed patterns of biodiversity in urban areas. We describe a two-year field experiment in which we manipulated bottom-up (resource availability) and top-down (bird pred... |
Does hybridization of endophytic symbionts in a native grass increase fitness in resource-limited environments? |
2017 |
1031 |
Hybridization is common among plants, animals and microbes. However, the ecological consequences of hybridization for microbes are far less understood than for plants and animals. For symbiotic Epichloë fungi, hybridization is widespread and may augm... |
The Effects of Endophytes on Seed Production and Seed Predation of Tall Fescue and Meadow Fescue |
2010 |
1094 |
Fungal endophytes of grasses are often included in agricultural management and in ecological studies of natural grass populations. In European agriculture and ecological studies, however, grass endophytes are largely ignored. In this study, we determ... |
Effects of hybrid and non-hybrid Epichloë endophytes and their associated host genotypes on the response of a native grass to varying environments |
2016 |
1055 |
Asexual Epichloë endophytes are prevalent in cool season grasses, and many are of hybrid origin. Hybridization of asexual endophytes is thought to provide a rapid influx of genetic variation that may be adaptive to endophyte–host grass symbiota in st... |
Environmental factors affect the distribution of two Epichloë fungal endophyte species inhabiting a common host grove bluegrass (Poa alsodes) |
2019 |
1076 |
2018-2019 UNCG University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund Grant Winner.
Aim: The endophyte Epichloë alsodes, with known insecticidal properties, is found in a majority of Poa alsodes populations across a latitudinal gradient from North C... |
Epichloë endophytes of Poa alsodes employ alternative mechanisms for host defense: insecticidal versus deterrence |
2019 |
1149 |
Some cool-season pooid grasses partner with symbiotic fungal endophytes in the Epichloë genus for defense against insect herbivores via fungal alkaloids. Poa alsodes, North American woodland grass, independently hosts two species of Epichloë that var... |
Ethanolic Echinacea purpurea Extracts Contain a Mixture of Cytokine-Suppressive and Cytokine-Inducing Compounds, Including Some That Originate from Endophytic Bacteria |
2015 |
2666 |
Echinacea preparations, which are used for the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory infections, account for 10% of the dietary supplement market in the U.S., with sales totaling more than $100 million annually. In an attempt to shed light on... |
Flavonolignans from Aspergillus iizukae, a Fungal Endophyte of Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) |
2014 |
2412 |
Silybin A (1), silybin B (2), and isosilybin A (3), three of the seven flavonolignans that constitute silymarin, an extract of the fruits of milk thistle (Silybum marianum), were detected for the first time from a fungal endophyte, Aspergillus iizuka... |
Fungal grass endophytes and arthropod communities: lessons from plant defence theory and multitrophic interactions |
2012 |
2438 |
Alkaloids produced by systemic fungal endophytes of grasses are thought to act as defensive agents against herbivores. Endophytic alkaloids may reduce arthropod herbivore abundances and diversity in agronomic grasses. Yet, accumulating evidence, part... |
Global Change and the Ecology of Cities |
2008 |
7948 |
Urban areas are hot spots that drive environmental change at multiple scales. Material demands of production and human consumption alter land use and cover, biodiversity, and hydrosystems locally to regionally, and urban waste discharge affects local... |
Hybridization in Endophyte Symbionts Alters Host Response to Moisture and Nutrient Treatments |
2010 |
1679 |
When a host organism is infected by a symbiont, the resulting symbiotum has a phenotype distinct from uninfected hosts. Genotypic interactions between the partners may increase phenotypic variation of the host at the population level. Neotyphodium is... |
Hybridization of Neotyphodium endophytes enhances competitive ability of the host grass |
2012 |
1697 |
Associations with microbial symbionts may lead to niche differentiation of their host. Vertically transmitted Neotyphodiumendophytes of grasses often hybridize in nature. Infection by these hybrid symbionts may result in different host–plant phenotyp... |
Inherited microbial symbionts increase herbivore abundances and alter arthropod diversity on a native grass |
2010 |
1911 |
Some microbial symbionts of plants are maternally inherited and thus functionally increase genetic and phenotypic variation within plant populations. This variation, coupled with that of the host plant and environment, may alter abundances, diversity... |
Interspecific and intraspecific hybrid Epichloë species symbiotic with the North American native grass Poa alsodes |
2017 |
1478 |
The endophyte presence and diversity in natural populations of Poa alsodes were evaluated along a latitudinal transect from the southern distribution range in North Carolina to New York. Two distinct Epichloë hybrid taxa were identified from 23 popul... |
Invasion, Competition, and Biodiversity Loss in Urban Ecosystems |
2010 |
2455 |
The global decline in biodiversity as a result of urbanization remains poorly understood. Whereas habitat destruction accounts for losses at the species level, it may not explain diversity loss at the community level, because urban centers also attra... |
Occam’s Razor Cuts Both Ways: Endophytes, Resource Allocation, Herbivory, and Mutualism: A Reply to Rudgers et al. |
2010 |
1803 |
Fungal endophytes and their grass hosts have attracted growing research interest as systems in which to examine the ecological and evolutionary consequences of maternally inherited symbioses. The lion’s share of research for these endophytic symbiose... |
Phylogenetic and chemical diversity of fungal endophytes isolated from Silybum marianum (L) Gaertn. (milk thistle) |
2015 |
1258 |
Use of the herb milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is widespread, and its chemistry has been studied for over 50 years. However, milk thistle endophytes have not been studied previously for their fungal and chemical diversity. We examined the fungal end... |
Plant population and genotype effects override the effects of Epichloë endophyte species on growth and drought stress response of Achnatherum robustum plants in two natural grass populations |
2015 |
190 |
Aims: In cool-season grasses, systemic and vertically transmitted Epichloë infections often provide a suite of benefits including increased growth, reproduction and competitive abilities. However, these effects of Epichloë endophytes on their hosts o... |
Trophic Dynamics in Urban Communities |
2005 |
2422 |
Human activities dramatically change the abundance, diversity, and composition of species. However, little is known about how the most intense human activity, urbanization, alters food webs and trophic structure in biological communities. Studies of ... |
Urban Biodiversity: Patterns and Mechanisms |
2011 |
4481 |
The patterns of biodiversity changes in cities are now fairly well established, although diversity changes in temperate cities are much better studied than cities in other climate zones. Generally, plant species richness often increases in cities due... |
Variation in Arthropod Communities in Response to Urbanization: Seven Years of Arthropod Monitoring in a Desert City |
2011 |
2341 |
Continuous monitoring is essential to understand dynamics of biological communities in response to urbanization, and to provide guidance in landscape planning for conserving urban biodiversity. Arthropods serve this purpose because they are abundant ... |