Bumby, C., & Farrer, E.C. 2022 Nipponaclerda Biwakoensis Infestation of Phragmites australis in the Mississippi River Delta, USA: Do Fungal Microbiomes Play a Role?. Wetland Ecology 42:15

Keywords:

ecology

host

Notes: We test whether fungi are involved in the recent infestation by this insect and subsequent die-offs of P. australis. Our analyses showed differences in fungal community composition and diversity between haplotypes and tissue types, but none of these differences were directly correlated with N. biwakoensis infestation severity. However, we did find that the European haplotype hosted higher putative pathogen loads in stem tissues compared to the Delta haplotype, which may confer resistance to herbivory, though it is possible that differences in infestation between haplotypes are due to morphology.