Parasitic trophic mode of plant host affects the extent of colonization, but does not induce systematic shifts in the composition of foliar endophytic assemblages in temperate meadow ecosystems

1. Foliar endophytic bacteria and fungi are increasingly being recognized as important drivers of plant host phenotype – affecting a wide range of eco-physiological processes. However, we are still lacking fundamental ecosystem-level knowledge about the structure, function, and inter-species interactions in endophytic assemblages associated with plant hosts sharing a common life strategy or ecological specialization.
2. In this study, we chose two groups of plants with contrasting physiology as model systems: parasites and their hosts. We assessed whether plant life history strategy, namely differences in nutrient acquisition and accumulation, plays a role in structuring above-ground microbiomes under field conditions.
3. We focused on the structure, colonization extent, and potential function of foliar endophytic bacteria and fungi in three root hemiparasitic species (Orobanchaceae), one stem holoparasite (Convolvulaceae), and their potential host plants co-occurring in species-rich te...