Effects of fungal endophytes on interspecific and intraspecific competition in the grasses Festuca arundinacea and Lolium perenne.
Abstract
In a series of greenhouse experiments, L. perenne cv. Repell (endophyte-infected) or Yorktown (endophyte-free) and separate seed lines of F. arundinacea cv. KY-31 (with approx. 5% and 95% endophyte infection) were grown at several combinations of species, plant density and endophyte infection. In general, endophyte infection enhanced the competitive ability of F. arundinacea; in contrast uninfected L. perenne plants performed better than infected plants under both interspecific and intraspecific competition.