Symbiotic Modulation as a Driver of Niche Expansion of Coastal Plants in the San Juan Archipelago of Washington State.

Modern evolutionary theory and population genetics posit that adaptation and habitat expansion of plants result from processes exclusive to their genomes. Here, we present studies showing that plants can grow across complex habitat gradients by modulating symbiotic associations with Class 2 fungal endophytes. Endophyte analysis of three native () and one invasive () plant growing across adjacent microhabitats in the San Juan Archipelago altered associations with Class 2 fungal endophytes in response to soil salinity levels.

A Symbiotic Approach to Generating Stress Tolerant Crops.

Studies were undertaken to determine if fungal endophytes from plants in stressful habitats could be commercialized to generate climate resilient crop plants. Fungal endophytes were isolated from weedy rice plants and grasses from South Korea and the USA, respectively. Endophytes ( and ) from weedy rice plants from high salt or drought stressed habitats in South Korea conferred salt and drought stress tolerance to weedy rice and commercial varieties reflective of the habitats from which they were isolated.