Abstract Detail

Mycology

Oono, Ryoko [1], Irving, Mari [2], Chou, Vanessa [3].

Can fungal endophytes survive through phytophagous insects?

Fungal endophytes are a diverse group of microorganisms that reside in the tissue of photosynthetic plants and are associated with every major plant lineage in the world. While some of these endophytic species may be saprophytic or opportunistic pathogens that form fruiting bodies on dying leaves or leaf litter, some are regularly consumed within healthy green leaves by a diverse community of herbivores. The effect of herbivory on endophyte fitness and evolution is well-studied in vertically-transmitted grass endophytes, but not well understood among the more diverse group of horizontally-transmitted endophytes. This study compares the endophytic fungal communities of two different milkweed species as well as the fungal communities that populate the frass from monarch caterpillars that consume the two milkweed species. By assessing the change in fungal community structure and diversity from leaf to frass environments, this study examines the selective effect of specialist herbivores on fungal endophyte species and identifies species that may be adapted to surviving caterpillar guts.

1 - University of California - Santa Barbara, Ecology, Evolution, Marine Biology, Santa Barbara, CA, 93110-6125, United States
2 - University of California, Santa Barbara , Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9620
3 - University of California - Santa Barbara, Ecology, Evolution, Marine Biology, University of California - Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, United States

Keywords:
monarch
caterpillar
milkweed
community ecology
Mycology.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: MY4, Mycology: Endophytes, Communities, Hydrophobins, and Transporters
Location: /
Date: Wednesday, July 21st, 2021
Time: 1:45 PM(EDT)
Number: MY4006
Abstract ID:1148
Candidate for Awards:None