The Ecological Consequences of Hybridization of Asexual Microbial Symbionts

物种之间的杂交是一个众所周知的生物过程，它迅速创造出新的物种和各种活的有机体。例如，大约95%的蕨类物种和70%的开花植物物种来自杂交(结合两个物种的基因)。杂交植物包括重要的农作物，如现代小麦。许多动物物种也是两个亲本物种杂交的结果。关于微生物物种之间的杂交，人们知道的要少得多，尽管其生态后果可能是戏剧性的。例如，导致荷兰榆树病和摧毁美国森林的侵略性和致病真菌是两种良性真菌菌株杂交的结果。这项研究研究了一种生活在农艺和本地牧草中的真菌内生菌杂交的生态效应。内生真菌是生活在植物内部的共生真菌，通常不会引起疾病。相反，这些内生菌提高了生长、竞争能力和对消耗植物的食草动物的抵抗力。这项研究将研究内生菌的杂交如何改变它所生活的草的生长、繁殖和生存。这项研究对牧草、草坪和乡土牧草的福利具有重要意义，这些牧草都经常被内生真菌感染。此外，随着微生物通过人类活动在全球范围内传播，杂交机会急剧增加。这些微生物杂交事件可能会对宿主产生积极或消极(例如致病)的影响，包括作物、人类和牲畜。因此，了解杂交微生物伙伴如何影响其原生寄主牧草和农艺作物是至关重要的。

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.