Fungal assemblages of L. perenne leaves in dependence of Epichloë endophytes

Epichloë endophytes associated with cool season grass species can protect their hosts from herbivory and can change the fungal community structure in the hosts' roots. However, little is known if Epichloë endophyte infection can also change the foliar fungal assemblages of the host. We tested for 52 grassland study sites along a land-use intensity gradient in three study regions and in two seasons (spring vs. summer), if Epichloë infection of the host grass Lolium perenne changes the fungal community structure in leaves. Foliar fungal communities were assessed by Next Generation Sequencing of the ITS rRNA gene region. The fungal community structure was strongly affected by study region and season, while land-use intensity and infection with Epichloë endophytes had no significant effects in our study. We conclude that effects on foliar fungi caused by land use and Epichloë infection in other studies are masked by local and seasonal variability in the studied real world grasslands.