Hybridization between species is a well-known biological process that rapidly creates new species and varieties of living organisms. For example, approximately 95% of fern species and 70% of flowering plant species and have arisen from hybridization (combining genes from two species). Hybrid plants include important crop plants such as modern wheat. Many species of animals are also the result of hybridization between two parental species. Much less is known about hybridization between microbial species, although the ecological consequences can be dramatic. For example, the aggressive and pathogenic fungus that causes Dutch elm disease and devastated American forests resulted from hybridization of two benign fungal strains. This research studies the ecological effects of hybridization of a fungal endophyte that lives internally in both agronomic and native grasses. Endophytes are symbiotic fungi that live inside plants and do not usually cause disease. Instead, these endophytes improve growth, competitive abilities and resistance to herbivores that consume the plant. This research will examine how hybridization of the endophyte alters the growth, reproduction and survival of the grass in which it lives.
This research has important implications for the welfare of pasture, turf and native grasses, all of which are often infected with endophytes. Furthermore, hybridization opportunities have dramatically increased as microbes are transported globally by human activities. These microbial hybridization events may result in either positive or negative (e.g., pathogenic) effects on their hosts, including crops, humans and livestock. Understanding how hybrid microbial partners influence their native host grasses and agronomic crops is therefore essential.
