Symbiotic fungal endophytes control insect host-parasite interaction webs

Symbiotic microorganisms that live intimately associated with terrestrial plants affect both the quantity and quality of resources, and thus the energy supply to consumer populations at higher levels in the food chain. Empirical evidence on resource limitation of food webs points to primary producti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 2001-01, Vol.409 (6816), p.78-81
Main Authors: Müller, Christine B, Chaneton, Enrique J, Omacini, Marina, Ghersa, Claudio M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Aphidiidae
Aphids - physiology
Ascomycota - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Endophytes
Energy transfer
Food Chain
Food webs
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Fungi
Host-Parasite Interactions
Humanities and Social Sciences
Insects
letter
Lolium - microbiology
Lolium - parasitology
Lolium multiflorum
Metopolophium festucae
Microorganisms
multidisciplinary
Neotyphodium
Parasites
Parasitism
Productivity
Rhopalosiphum padi
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Symbiosis
Synecology
Terrestrial ecosystems
Trophic levels
Trophic relationships
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Summary:Symbiotic microorganisms that live intimately associated with terrestrial plants affect both the quantity and quality of resources, and thus the energy supply to consumer populations at higher levels in the food chain. Empirical evidence on resource limitation of food webs points to primary productivity as a major determinant of consumer abundance and trophic structure. Prey quality plays a critical role in community regulation. Plants infected by endophytic fungi are known to be chemically protected against herbivore consumption. However, the influence of this microbe-plant association on multi-trophic interactions remains largely unexplored. Here we present the effects of fungal endophytes on insect food webs that reflect limited energy transfer to consumers as a result of low plant quality, rather than low productivity. Herbivore-parasite webs on endophyte-free grasses show enhanced insect abundance at alternate trophic levels, higher rates of parasitism, and increased dominance by a few trophic links. These results mirror predicted effects of increased productivity on food-web dynamics. Thus 'hidden' microbial symbionts can have community-wide impacts on the pattern and strength of resource-consumer interactions.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/35051070