Epichloë gansuensis endophyte-infection alters soil enzymes activity and soil nutrients at different growth stages of Achnatherum inebrians

Background and Aims Epichloë endophytes are a unique model system for the study of the linkages between organisms above and belowground in ecosystems. However, the impact of Epichloë gansuensis in Achnatherum inebrians on soil enzymes activity and soil nutrients remains poorly understood. Methods Achnatherum inebrians with (E+) and without E. gansuensis (E−) were established in different plots of an experimental field in 2011. At 2016, the activity of soil invertase, soil urease, soil alkaline phosphatase and the soil nutrient of E+ and E− plots was determined in the A. inebrians growth and senescent stages; further, we used NMDS to evaluate the roles of endophyte and growth phase for each sample with soil properties. Results The interaction of E. gansuensis -infection and growth phase significantly influences TN and AN. E. gansuensis enhanced the activity of soil invertase and soil alkaline phosphatase in growth and senescence stages of A. inebrians , E. gansuensis increased the activity of urease in the growth stage. E. gansuensis significantly increased the content of soil TN and AN in the A. inebrians growth stage. The results of NMDS showed that E. gansuensis and growth phase significantly influenced the soil properties, respectively. Therefore, E. gansuensis played an important role in improving soil enzymes activity and soil nutrients content. Conclusions E. gansuensis improve soil fertility through regulating soil enzymes activity and soil nutrients. This study provided insights into a poorly understood ecosystem function of Epichloë and enhanced knowledge of the benefits provided by these mutualistic fungal endophytes of many grass species.