Demographic data from long-term symbiont removal experiments with grasses and Epichloë fungal endophytes

This project was designed to understand the demographic effects of vertically transmitted fungal endophytes (Epichloë spp.) on their grass hosts. The experiment includes seven host-symbiont taxonomic pairs: Agrostis perennans - E. amarillans, Elymus villosus - E. elymi, Elymus virginicus - E. elymi or EviTG-1, Festuca subverticillata - E. starrii, Poa alsodes - E. alsodes, Poa sylvestris - E. PsyTG-1, Schedonorus arundinaceus - E. coenophiala. Experimental plots were established at the Indiana University Lilly-Dickey Woods Research and Teaching Preserve in south-central Indiana, USA in 2007. For each species, 5-10 plots were planted with naturally symbiotic (S+) hosts, and 5-10 plots were plated with hosts that were disinfected of fungal endophytes by heat treatment (S-). Over 15 years (2007-2022) we collected demographic data on the survival, growth, reproduction, and recruitment of all plants in all plots. Beginning in 2018 we also collected data on the locations of all plants in every plot.

本项目旨在探究垂直传播的真菌内生菌（Epichloë spp.）对其禾本科宿主的种群效应。本实验共设置7组宿主-共生体分类配对：Agrostis perennans - E. amarillans、Elymus villosus - E. elymi、Elymus virginicus - E. elymi 或 EviTG-1、Festuca subverticillata - E. starrii、Poa alsodes - E. alsodes、Poa sylvestris - E. PsyTG-1、Schedonorus arundinaceus - E. coenophiala。实验样地于2007年在美国印第安纳州中南部的印第安纳大学莉莉-迪基森林研究与教学保护区（Lilly-Dickey Woods Research and Teaching Preserve）建立。针对各宿主物种，我们布设5至10个样地种植天然共生（S+）宿主，同时布设5至10个样地种植经热处理脱除真菌内生菌的宿主（S-）。在2007至2022年的15年周期内，我们采集了所有样地内全部植株的存活、生长、繁殖与种群补充数据；自2018年起，我们还采集了每个样地内所有植株的空间位置数据。