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Shifts In The Relative Importance Of Competition And Mutualism For Communities And Ecosystems, Lukas P. Bell-Dereske
Shifts In The Relative Importance Of Competition And Mutualism For Communities And Ecosystems, Lukas P. Bell-Dereske
Biology ETDs
Plant species interact with at least one, likely many, microbial mutualist throughout their life cycles. These microbial mutualists can have strong effects on plant communities and ecosystem processes. Fungal endophytes within the genus Epichloë associate with ~20%–30% of grass species and have been shown to have strong effects on plant communities. Here I described the effect of Epichloë amarillans associated with the dominant grass species, Ammophila breviligulata, on nutrient cycling, below-ground microbial community, and compare the strength of its effects on plant communities to plant-plant competition.
In chapters one and two, I examine the effects of Epichloë on litter …