, gen. et sp. nov., a new member of Pleosporales from North American Plains, its biogeography and effects on a foundation grass species.

Diverse fungi colonize plant roots worldwide and include species from many orders of the phylum Ascomycota. These fungi include taxa with dark septate hyphae that colonize grass roots and may modulate plant responses to stress. We describe a novel group of fungal isolates and evaluate their effects on the grass in vitro.

, sp. nov., a dark septate root-associated fungus in foundation grasses in North American Great Plains.

is a common genus of dark septate fungi-a group of ascomycetes in semiarid regions. A survey reported and a distinct lineage as abundant root-associated fungi of foundational grasses in North America. Fungi were isolated, and metabarcode data were obtained from sequencing of fungal communities of grass roots in the United States.