Influence of phylogenetic conservatism and trait convergence on the interactions between fungal root endophytes and plants.

Plants associate through their roots with fungal assemblages that impact their abundance and productivity. Non-mycorrhizal endophytes constitute an important component of such fungal diversity, but their implication in ecosystem processes is little known. Using a selection of 128 root-endophytic strains, we defined functional groups based on their traits and plant interactions with potential to predict community assembly and symbiotic association processes. In vitro tests of the strains' interactions with Arabidopsis thaliana, Microthlaspi erraticum and Hordeum vulgare showed a net negative effect of fungal colonization on plant growth. The effects partly depended on the phylogenetic affiliation of strains, but also varied considerably depending on the plant-strain combination. The variation was partly explained by fungal traits shared by different lineages, like growth rates or melanization. The origin of strains also affected their symbioses, with endophytes isolated from Microthlaspi spp. populations being more detrimental to M. erraticum than strains from other sources. Our findings suggest that plant-endophyte associations are subject to local processes of selection, in which particular combinations of symbionts are favored across landscapes. We also show that different common endophytic taxa have differential sets of traits found to affect interactions, hinting to a functional complementarity that can explain their frequent co-existence in natural communities.