@phdthesis{Koenig2018, author = {K{\"o}nig, Julia Maria}, title = {Fungal grass endophytes and their dependence on land-use intensity}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-163890}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Plant-associated fungi can affect the plants' interaction with herbivores and other microorganisms. For example, many common forage grasses are infected with Epichlo{\"e} endophytes. The endophytes systemically colonize the aerial parts of the plants. They produce bioprotective alkaloids that can negatively affect insects and livestock feeding on the grasses, and interact with other fungal species which living from the plants' nutrients. Environmental conditions strongly influence Epichlo{\"e} endophytes. Endophyte-mediated effects on herbivores are more pronounced under increased temperatures and the endophytes may benefit from land use in managed grasslands. Under the framework of the large-scale German project "Biodiversity Exploratories", I investigated whether infection rates and alkaloid concentrations of Epichlo{\"e} festucae var. lolii in Lolium perenne (Chapter I) and Epichlo{\"e} endophytes (E. uncinata, E. siegelii) in Festuca pratensis (Chapter II) depend on land use and season. Further I analysed, whether foliar fungal assemblages of L. perenne are affected by the presence of Epichlo{\"e} endophytes (Chapter IV).}, subject = {Endophytische Pilze}, language = {en} }