endophyte
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈɛndəˌfaɪt/
- Specialized
- Researchers are discovering how an endophyte can protect its host plant from environmental stressors.
- fungal endophytes
Examples
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While toxins made by F. verticillioides can be deadly, researchers in the ARS Toxicology and Mycotoxin Research Unit at Athens, Georgia, have found that the fungus is actually an endophyte in corn.
Academic text (2006) -
Compared with the plots planted with fungus-free grass, the plots containing the endophyte had fewer different plant species, and tall fescue accounted for a higher proportion of the individual plants.
Academic text (2002) -
While some endophytes, or plant inhabitants, are good for their leafy hosts, F. verticillioides, unfortunately, is not.
Academic text (2006) -
For most of its life, the Raflezia plant exists as an endophyte, a single thin strand of almost uniform cells beneath the bark of its host.
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One such organism they're examining is Bacillus mojavensis, a bacterial endophyte with plant-enhancing qualities.
Academic text (2006) -
We found a significantly higher proportion of male voles in endophyte-infected plots than in uninfected ones, suggesting that female voles were avoiding the infected areas.
Academic text (2002) -
Although, as a botanist, I have tended to discount mammals as minor components of most plant communities, my research team expanded our study to look at how tall fescue's endophyte might affect vole populations.
Academic text (2002) -
So, Athens-based research leader Charles Bacon and microbiologist Dorothy Hinton are hunting for other beneficial endophytes that can be used to outcompete the hostile fungus.
Academic text (2006) -
Saikkonen K, Wall P, Helander M, Faeth SH. 2004. Evolution of endophyte-plant symbioses. Trends in Plant Science 9: 275-280.
Academic text (2008) -
In healthy plants, an endophyte can play a crucial role in enhancing growth without causing any disease.
How Harmful
Surface Forms
Morphology
endophyte = endo + phyte
Formed from Greek combining forms 'endo-' (inside) + '-phyte' (plant/organism) which are technical morphemes not standalone English words, so the composition is not transparent to an average B1 learner.
Etymology
The word endophyte comes from the parts endo- and -phyte, where endo- means 'inside' and -phyte means 'plant'. You can see the same -phyte in the word neophyte, which means 'beginner' and once meant a 'new plant'. So an endophyte is literally something that lives 'inside a plant', which is why these microbes often do not hurt the plant.