title: Host genotype shapes the foliar fungal microbiome of balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera).
abstract: Foliar fungal communities of plants are diverse and ubiquitous. In grasses endophytes may increase host fitness; in trees, their ecological roles are poorly understood. We investigated whether the genotype of the host tree influences community structure of foliar fungi. We sampled leaves from genotyped balsam poplars from across the species' range, and applied 454 amplicon sequencing to characterize foliar fungal communities. At the time of the sampling the poplars had been growing in a common garden for two years. We found diverse fungal communities associated with the poplar leaves. Linear discriminant analysis and generalized linear models showed that host genotypes had a structuring effect on the composition of foliar fungal communities. The observed patterns may be explained by a filtering mechanism which allows the trees to selectively recruit fungal strains from the environment. Alternatively, host genotype-specific fungal communities may be present in the tree systemically, and persist in the host even after two clonal reproductions. Both scenarios are consistent with host tree adaptation to specific foliar fungal communities and suggest that there is a functional basis for the strong biotic interaction.
authors: Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. mbalint@senckenberg.de
authors: Miklós
authors: M
authors: Bálint
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Tiffin
authors: Björn
authors: B
authors: Hallström
authors: Robert B
authors: RB
authors: O'Hara
authors: Matthew S
authors: MS
authors: Olson
authors: Johnathon D
authors: JD
authors: Fankhauser
authors: Meike
authors: M
authors: Piepenbring
authors: Imke
authors: I
authors: Schmitt
mesh_terms: D005658:Fungi / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D054892:Metagenome; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D032107:Populus / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology