Monday, January 22, 1996 - Henrik Kibak

It rained off and on last night. Now it's bright and cold. In the forest there was no place to sit, it was so wet. As I stood, leaning against a redwood and chewing my sandwich, I noticed that the forest floor was covered with thousands of tiny, spindly mushrooms. Each one was growing straight out of a fallen redwood leaf. I was immediately very excited since I have friends researching redwood endophytes.

The life cycles of many of these commensal/mutualistic/parasitic fungi are undescribed or unknown. One hypothesis is that they benefit the tree by making the leaves less palatable to herbivores. Another hypothesis is that they provide protection against pathogenic bacteria. Perhaps agribusiness will one day benefit from the insect-repelling microfungi of the redwood forest... The way we now benefit from penicillin (breadmold derivative). As cited below, it's even possible that these seemingly inobtrusive and insignificant organisms might be involved in taxol production or other medically important compounds.

ROLLINGER JL; LANGENHEIM JH.
     GEOGRAPHIC SURVEY OF FUNGAL ENDOPHYTE COMMUNITY COMPOSITION IN LEAVES OF
   COASTAL REDWOOD.
     MYCOLOGIA, 1993 MAR-APR, V85 N2:149-156.
     

ESPINOSAGARCIA FJ; SALDIVARGARCIA P; LANGENHEIM JH.
     DOSE-DEPENDENT EFFECTS INVITRO OF ESSENTIAL OILS ON THE GROWTH OF 2
   ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI IN COASTAL REDWOOD LEAVES.
     BIOCHEMICAL SYSTEMATICS AND ECOLOGY, 1993 MAR, V21 N2:185-194.
     
LOPEZ JE; FAETH SH; MILLER M.
     EFFECT OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI ON HERBIVORY BY REDLEGGED GRASSHOPPERS
   (ORTHOPTERA, ACRIDIDAE) ON ARIZONA FESCUE.
     ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY, 1995 DEC, V24 N6:1576-1580.
     

STIERLE A; STROBEL G; STIERLE D; GROTHAUS P; and others.
     THE SEARCH FOR A TAXOL-PRODUCING MICROORGANISM AMONG THE ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI
   OF THE PACIFIC YEW, TAXUS BREVIFOLIA.
     JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS-LLOYDIA, 1995 SEP, V58 N9:1315-1324.
     
HATA K; FUTAI K.
     ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH HEALTHY PINE NEEDLES AND NEEDLES INFESTED
   BY THE PINE NEEDLE GALL MIDGE, THECODIPLOSIS JAPONENSIS.
     CANADIAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY-REVUE CANADIENNE DE BOTANIQUE, 1995 MAR, V73
   N3:384-390.
     

DOBRANIC JK; JOHNSON JA; ALIKHAN QR.
     ISOLATION OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI FROM EASTERN LARCH (LARIX LARICINA) LEAVES
   FROM NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA.
     CANADIAN JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY, 1995 FEB, V41 N2:194-198.
     
RAANTA H; NEUVONEN S; YLIMARTIMO A.
     INTERACTIONS OF GREMMENIELLA ABIETINA AND ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI IN SHOOTS OF
   SCOTS PINE TREES TREATED WITH SIMULATED ACID RAIN.
     JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, 1995 FEB, V32 N1:67-75.
     

MAGAN N; KIRKWOOD IA; MCLEOD AR; SMITH MK.
     EFFECT OF OPEN-AIR FUMIGATION WITH SULPHUR DIOXIDE AND OZONE ON
   PHYLLOSPHERE AND ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI OF CONIFER NEEDLES.
     PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT, 1995 MAR, V18 N3:291-302.
     

SIEBER TN; DORWORTH CE.
     AN ECOLOGICAL STUDY ABOUT ASSEMBLAGES OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI IN ACER
   MACROPHYLLUM IN BRITISH COLUMBIA - IN SEARCH OF CANDIDATE MYCOHERBICIDES.
     CANADIAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY-REVUE CANADIENNE DE BOTANIQUE, 1994 OCT, V72
   N10:1397-1402.
     
LAM CK; BELANGER FC; WHITE JF; DAIE J.
      MECHANISM AND RATE OF SUGAR UPTAKE BY ACREMONIUM-TYPHINUM, AN ENDOPHYTIC
    FUNGUS INFECTING FESTUCA-RUBRA - EVIDENCE FOR PRESENCE OF A CELL WALL
    INVERTASE IN ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI.
      MYCOLOGIA, 1994 MAY-JUN, V86 N3:408-415.
      

RANTA H; NEUVONEN S; KAARIAINEN S; VESANTO S.
      COPPER AND NICKEL POLLUTION - FREQUENCY OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI IN SCOTS PINE
    SHOOTS AND ENDOPHYTE GROWTH IN VITRO.
      CANADIAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY-REVUE CANADIENNE DE BOTANIQUE, 1994 JAN, V72
    N1:93-99.
      

JOHNSON JA; WHITNEY NJ.
      CYTOTOXICITY AND INSECTICIDAL ACTIVITY OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI FROM BLACK
    SPRUCE (PICEA MARIANA) NEEDLES.
      CANADIAN JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY, 1994 JAN, V40 N1:24-27.
      

LATCH GCM.
      PHYSIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI AND THEIR HOSTS - BIOTIC
    STRESS TOLERANCE IMPARTED TO GRASSES BY ENDOPHYTES.
      AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT, 1993 MAR, V44 N1-4:143-156.
      

BUTIN H.
      EFFECT OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI FROM OAK (QUERCUS-ROBUR L) ON MORTALITY OF LEAF
    INHABITING GALL INSECTS.
      EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF FOREST PATHOLOGY, 1992 JUL, V22 N4:237-246.
      
    EFFECT OF SOME LEAF ESSENTIAL OIL PHENOTYPES IN COASTAL REDWOOD ON THE
    GROWTH OF SEVERAL FUNGI WITH ENDOPHYTIC STAGES.
      BIOCHEMICAL SYSTEMATICS AND ECOLOGY, 1991, V19 N8:629-642.
      

WILSON AD; CLEMENT SL; KAISER WJ.
      SURVEY AND DETECTION OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI IN LOLIUM GERM PLASM BY DIRECT
    STAINING AND APHID ASSAYS.
      PLANT DISEASE, 1991 FEB, V75 N2:169-173.