Factors affecting the foliar endophyte community in the invasive weed, Impatiens glandulifera

Abstract

All vascular plants contain communities of endophyte fungi within their foliar tissues. These fungi can act as plant bodyguards and disrupt the efficacy of weed biological control agents, yet studies of invasive plant biology hardly ever consider the background endophyte communities. Here, we investigated the factors that affect the structure of cultivable endophyte communities in the highly invasive weed Impatiens glandulifera. We found that community composition varies according to location, but that seasonal accumulation patterns of endophytes are similar between sites. Biotic factors influencing endophytes include arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, insect herbivores and plant pathogens. Endophyte species richness per plant was consistently low compared with other herbaceous plants and communities appear to be a random sub-set of the available species pool, with the plant acting as a strong filter of species. This information should enable community structure to be modelled and manipulated, making biological control of this weed more effective.