Endophyte Mediation of Tri-Trophic Interactions in the Quercus Gambelii

．提案号：deb1 -29630提案标题：栎三营养相互作用的内生真菌介导名称：William J. BoecklenInstitution：新墨西哥州立大学内生真菌（生活在植物叶片内的真菌）在介导宿主植物，昆虫食草动物和食草动物的天敌（捕食者和拟寄生物）之间的相互作用中的重要性在自然系统中知之甚少。本研究将采用野外取样、化学分析和对照野外实验相结合的方法，研究内生真菌对西南栎（栎）植物与草食动物相互作用的直接和间接影响。此外，环境变化对内生真菌之间的拮抗相互作用以及内生真菌与食草动物之间的相互作用结果的影响将通过在橡树宿主上接种真菌来测试。这项研究将有助于我们理解植物与食草动物的相互作用，并有助于确定影响植物对食草动物攻击易感性的因素。通过了解食草动物对携带内生真菌的植物的反应，本研究的结果将为开发新的抗虫作物品种提供重要的见解。此外，本研究结果将为内生真菌作为昆虫食草动物生物防治剂的潜在应用提供背景数据。

.Proposal Number: DEB-01-29630Proposal Title: Endophyte Mediation of Tri-Trophic Interaction in Quercus gambelliPI Name: William J. BoecklenInstitution: New Mexico State UniversityThe importance of endophytic fungi (fungi that live within the leaves of plants) in mediating interactions between host plants, insect herbivores, and the natural enemies of herbivores (predators and parasitoids) is poorly understood in natural systems. The proposed research will examine both direct and indirect effects of endophytic fungi on plant herbivore interactions in a southwestern oak (Quercus gambelii) by using a combination of field sampling, chemical analyses, and controlled field experiments. In addition, the influence of environmental variation on the outcome of antagonistic interactions between endophytic fungi and interactions between endophytes and herbivores will be tested using field inoculations of fungal species onto oak hosts. The proposed research will contribute to our understanding of plant-herbivore interactions, and will help identify factors that influence plant susceptibility to herbivore attack. By understanding how herbivores respond to plants bearing endophytic fungi, results of this research will provide important insights into developing new strains of pest-resistant crop plants. In addition, the results of this research will provide background data on the potential use of endophytic fungi as biocontrol agents against insect herbivores.