Endosymbiotic fungi structually integrated with leaves reveals a lichenous condition of C4 grasses

TitleEndosymbiotic fungi structually integrated with leaves reveals a lichenous condition of C4 grasses
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2007
AuthorsBarrow J.R., Lucero M.E., Reyes-Vera I., Havstad K
JournalIn Vitro Cellular and Development Biology - Plants
Volume43
Pagination65-70
Date PublishedMarch 11, 2007
ARIS Log Number198407
KeywordsC4 grasses, endosymbiotic, fungi, lichenous
AbstractThis paper addresses the assumed autonomy of vascular plants by revealing the presence of an obligate fungus structurally integrated with leaf anatomy of C4 grasses. We examined leaf surfaces of 26 species representing 14 genera of C4 grasses. In all species, we found similarities between leaf surface microhair-like structures and Uredomycete teliospores. These bicellular structures produced hyphae and spores, confirming they were fungal, rather than plant tissue. The plant-fungus structural morphology was also observed in Bouteloua eriopoda plants regenerated from embryonic meristem cells. The conserved symbiosis between fungi and C4 grasses suggests a lichenous association with evolutionary significance. The structural integration of endosymbiotic fungi with cells and tissues offers novel and unexplored approaches to developing physiological, ecological and systematic models of C4 grasses.
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