Diversity and function of fungal root endophytes in Canadian boreal forests

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Plant roots are colonized by a diverse array of fungi. These include not only detrimental pathogens, but also beneficial species which improve plant growth. Still others exist as "endophytes" within the plant root tissue, which do not cause disease symptoms or form the structures normally found in beneficial associations. Root endophytic fungi are often abundant and found on almost all plants so far studied, yet their cryptic nature has constrained investigation into their role in the ecology of the soil environment. Root endophytic fungi potentially represent an undiscovered source of biodiversity. Not only have previous studies of fungal root endophytes uncovered high levels of diversity, but the endophytic fungi of leaves (the above-ground analogy) are thought to be "hyperdiverse". Modern DNA based detection techniques are far more sensitive than those previously employed, and should reveal the true diversity of these unseen organisms.