Endophyte-host associations in grasses. XXIV. Some evidence to support the occurrence of endophyte microspecies complexes centered around sexually- reproducing species of Epichloe

Studies employing randomly amplified polymorphic DNA sequences are conducted on a range of grass endophytes of the genus Epichloe and anamorphs. Through the use of 96 bands we were able to consistently link anamorphs to teleomorphs. It was found that an isolate of Acremonium coenophialum from Festuca arundinacea and several isolates of A. typhinum from F. ovina cluster with Epichloe festucae while isolates from Agrostis alba, Brornus ramosus, Poa ampla, and P. sylvestris group with E. typhina. For comparative purposes, rDNA ITS1 and ITS2 sequences were obtained from GenBank and analyzed using phylogenetic procedures. The same pattern of clustering with sexually-reproducing species was observed. It is suggested that endophytes may form complexes of asexually-reproducing 'microspecies' or clones centered around the sexually-reproducing species of Epichloe.