Same day discharge colon surgery: is it financially worth it?

AIM: Same day discharge (SDD) for colorectal surgery shows increasing promise in the era of enhanced recovery after surgery protocols and minimally invasive surgery. It has become increasingly relevant due to the constraints posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to compare SDD and postoperative day 1 (POD1) discharge to understand the clinical outcomes and financial impact on factors such as cost, charge, revenue, contribution margin and readmission. METHOD: A retrospective review of colectomies was performed at a single institution over a 2-year period (n = 143). Two populations were identified: SDD (n = 51) and POD1 (n = 92). Patients were selected by International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems-10 (ICD-10) and Diagnosis Related Grouper (DRG) codes. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference favouring SDD in total hospital cost (p < 0.0001), average direct costs (p < 0.0001) and average charges (p < 0.0016). SDD average hospital costs were $8699 (values in USD throughout) compared with $11 652 for POD 1 (p < 0.0001), and average SDD hospital charges were $85 506 compared with $97 008 for POD1 (p < 0.0016). The net revenue for SDD was $22 319 while for POD1 it was $26 173 (p = 0.14). Upon comparison of contribution margins (SDD $13 620 vs. POD1 $14 522), the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.73). There were no identified statistically significant differences in operating room time, robotic console time, readmission rates or surgical complications. CONCLUSIONS: Amidst the pandemic-related constraints, we found that SDD was associated with lower hospital costs and comparable contribution margins compared with POD1. Additionally, the study was unable to identify any significant difference between operating time, readmissions, and surgical complications when performing SDD.

Natural-history Characterization of a Murine Partial-body Irradiation Model System: Establishment of a Multiple-Parameter Based GI-ARS Severity-Scoring System.

The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the natural history of a murine total-abdominal-irradiation exposure model to measure gastrointestinal acute radiation injury. Male CD2F1 mice at 12 to 15 weeks old received total-abdominal irradiation using 4-MV linear accelerator X-rays doses of 0, 11, 13.5, 15, 15.75 and 16.5 Gy (2.75 Gy/min). Daily cage-side (i.e., in the animal housing room) observations of clinical signs and symptoms including body weights on all animals were measured up to 10 days after exposure. Jejunum tissues from cohorts of mice were collected at 1, 3, 7 and 10 days after exposure and radiation injury was assessed by histopathological analyses. Results showed time- and dose-dependent loss of body weight [for example at 7 days: 0.66 (±0.80) % loss for 0 Gy, 6.40 (±0.76) % loss at 11 Gy, 9.43 (±2.06) % loss at 13.5 Gy, 23.53 (± 1.91) % loss at 15 Gy, 29.97 (±1.16) % loss at 15.75 Gy, and 31.79 (±0.76) % loss at 16.5 Gy]. Negligible clinical signs and symptoms, except body weight changes, of radiation injury were observed up to 10 days after irradiation with doses of 11 to 15 Gy. Progressive increases in the severity of clinical signs and symptoms were found after irradiation with doses >15 Gy. Jejunum histology showed a progressive dose-dependent increase in injury. For example, at 7 days postirradiation, the percent of crypts, compared to controls, decreased to 82.3 (±9.5), 69.2 (±12.3), 45.4 (±11.9), 18.0 (±3.4), and 11.5 (± 1.8) with increases in doses from 11 to 16.5 Gy. A mucosal injury scoring system was used that mainly focused on changes in villus morphology damage (i.e., subepithelial spaces near the tips of the villi with capillary congestion, significant epithelial lifting along the length of the villi with a few denuded villus tips). Peak levels of total-abdominal irradiation induced effects on the mucosal injury score were seen 7 days after irradiation for doses ≥15 Gy, with a trend to show a decline after 7 days. A murine multiple-parameter gastrointestinal acute-radiation syndrome severity-scoring system was established based on clinical signs and symptoms that included measures of appearance (i.e., hunched and/or fluffed fur), respiratory rate, general (i.e., decreased mobility) and provoked behavior (i.e., subdued response to stimulation), weight loss, and feces/diarrhea score combined with jejunum mucosal-injury grade score. In summary, the natural-history radio-response for murine partial-body irradiation exposures is important for establishing a well-characterized radiation model system; here we established a multiple-parameter gastrointestinal acute-radiation syndrome severity-scoring system that provides a radiation injury gastrointestinal tissue-based assessment utility.

Climate migration amplifies demographic change and population aging.

The warnings of potential climate migration first appeared in the scientific literature in the late 1970s when increased recognition that disintegrating ice sheets could drive people to migrate from coastal cities. Since that time, scientists have modeled potential climate migration without integrating other population processes, potentially obscuring the demographic amplification of this migration. Climate migration could amplify demographic change-enhancing migration to destinations and suppressing migration to origins. Additionally, older populations are the least likely to migrate, and climate migration could accelerate population aging in origin areas. Here, we investigate climate migration under sea-level rise (SLR), a single climatic hazard, and examine both the potential demographic amplification effect and population aging by combining matrix population models, flood hazard models, and a migration model built on 40 y of environmental migration in the United States to project the US population distribution of US counties. We find that the demographic amplification of SLR for all feasible Representative Concentration Pathway-Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (RCP-SSP) scenarios in 2100 ranges between 8.6-28 M [5.7-53 M]-5.3 and 18 times the number of migrants (0.4-10 M). We also project significant aging of coastal areas as youthful populations migrate but older populations remain, accelerating population aging in origin areas. As the percentage of the population lost due to climate migration increases, the median age also increases-up to 10+ y older in some highly impacted coastal counties. Additionally, our population projection approach can be easily adapted to investigate additional or multiple climate hazards.

The patient perspective of same day discharge colectomy: one hundred patients surveyed on their experience following colon surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Guided by enhanced recovery after surgery protocols and coerced by constraints of the Coronavirus Disease 2019, the concept of same day discharge (SDD) after colon surgery is becoming a topic of great interest. Although only a few literature sources are published on the topic and protocols, the number of centers interested in SDD is increasing. With the small number of sources on protocol, safety, implementation, and criteria, there has yet to be a review of the patient experience and satisfaction. METHODS: Our institution has one of the largest American databases of SDD colon surgery. We performed a retrospective patient survey assessing perception of their surgical experience and satisfaction, which analyzed patients from February 2019 to January 2022. Fifty SDD patients were selected for participation, as well as fifty patients who were discharged on postoperative day 1 (POD1). An eleven-question survey was offered to patients and responses recorded. RESULTS: One hundred patients were contacted, 50 SDD and 50 POD1. Of the SDD patients, 41/50 (82%) patients participated in the survey, while 23/50 (46%) of POD1 patients participated. The highest average response in both populations was an understanding of patient postoperative mobility instructions (9.27/10, 9.68/10). The lowest average response in the SDD population was family comfort with discharge (8.17/10), while patient comfort with discharge was lowest in the POD1 group, (8.56/10). Importantly, we observed that 85.37% of patients who underwent SDD would do so again if given the opportunity. The only statistically significant variable was a difference in comfort with postoperative pain control, favoring the POD1 group, p = 0.02. CONCLUSIONS: SDD colon surgery is a feasible and reproducible option. Only comfort with postoperative pain control found a statistical difference, which we intend to improve upon with postanesthesia care unit education. Of patients reviewed who underwent SDD, most patients enjoyed their experience and would undergo SDD again.

Ambulatory colectomy: a pathway for advancing the enhanced recovery protocol.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols employ multiple factors to decrease surgical stress and improve recovery (Lyon et al., World J Gastroenterol 18(40):5661-5663, 2012). These protocols use multimodal approaches to improve outcomes, including length of stay and morbidities (Lyon et al., World J Gastroenterol 18(40):5661-5663, 2012; Carmichael et al., Dis Colon Rectum 60:761-784, 2017). The ERAS guidelines have evolved since development; however, the question is posed of how to improve next (Lyon et al., World J Gastroenterol 18(40):5661-5663, 2012). With the success of ERAS, in combination with milestones made by minimally invasive surgery (MIS), it is our aim to describe the next step of same day discharge colectomy. Retrospective review was performed on all colectomies from February 2019 to January 2022. Same day discharge (SDD) was defined as admission less than 23 h and no overnight stay. Procedures were nonemergent and MIS. Patients were candidates SDD based on comorbidities, communication means, and social support. SDD candidacy continued if surgery was uncomplicated. Next, patients were required to achieve strict Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) criteria for discharge. SDD patients were monitored via calls or messages until their first appointment. After analysis, 326 total colectomies were identified; based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 115 patients underwent SDD, 35.3%. Of the 115 SDD, 5 patients returned to the emergency department, only 1 required readmission (0.9%). The most performed procedures were low anterior resection, 61 (53.0%), and right hemicolectomy, 25 (21.7%). Using ERAS protocols as a groundwork to improve upon, we identified several ways to advance select patients into SDD. Using strict patient selection, intraoperative regulations, and rigorous postoperative criteria, we found that SDD as an advancement of ERAS is a relatively safe procedure with minimal complications.

Traits along the leaf economics spectrum are associated with communities of foliar endophytic symbionts.

Leaf traits of plants worldwide are classified according to the Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES), which links leaf functional traits to evolutionary life history strategies. As a continuum ranging from thicker, tough leaves that are low in nitrogen (N) to thinner, softer, leaves that are high in N, the LES brings together physical, chemical, and ecological traits. Fungal endophytes are common foliar symbionts that occur in healthy, living leaves, especially in tropical forests. Their community composition often differs among co-occurring host species in ways that cannot be explained by environmental conditions or host phylogenetic relationships. Here, we tested the over-arching hypothesis that LES traits act as habitat filters that shape communities of endophytes both in terms of composition, and in terms of selecting for endophytes with particular suites of functional traits. We used culture-based and culture-free surveys to characterize foliar endophytes in mature leaves of 30 phylogenetically diverse plant species with divergent LES traits in lowland Panama, and then measured functional traits of dominant endophyte taxa in vitro. Endophytes were less abundant and less diverse in thick, tough, leaves compared to thin, softer, leaves in the same forest, even in closely related plants. Endophyte communities differed according to leaf traits, including leaf punch strength and carbon and nitrogen content. The most common endophyte taxa in leaves at different ends of the LES differ in their cellulase, protease, chitinase, and antipathogen activity. Our results extend the LES framework for the first time to diverse and ecologically important endophytes, opening new hypotheses regarding the degree to which foliar symbionts respond to, and extend, the functional traits of leaves they inhabit.

Microbial mediation of salinity stress response varies by plant genotype and provenance over time.

Although it is becoming widely appreciated that microbes can enhance plant tolerance to environmental stress, the nature of microbial mediation of exposure responses is not well understood. We addressed this deficit by examining whether microbial mediation of plant responses to elevated salinity is contingent on the environment and factors intrinsic to the host. We evaluated the influence of contrasting environmental conditions relative to host genotype, provenance and evolution by conducting a common-garden experiment utilizing ancestral and descendant cohorts of Schoenoplectus americanus genotypes recovered from two 100+ year coastal marsh seed banks. We compared S. americanus productivity and trait variation as well as associated endophytic microbial communities according to plant genotype, provenance, and age cohort under high and low salinity stress with and without native soil inoculation. The magnitude and direction of microbial mediation of S. americanus responses to elevated salinity varied according to individual genotype, provenance, as well as temporal shifts in genotypic variation and G × E (gene by environment) interactions. Relationships differed between plant traits and the structure of endosphere communities. Our findings indicate that plant-microbe associations and microbial mediation of plant stress are not only context-dependent but also dynamic. Our results additionally suggest that evolution can shape the fate of marsh ecosystems by altering how microbes confer plant tolerance to pressures linked to global change.

Ambulatory colectomy: A pilot protocol for same day discharge in minimally invasive colorectal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Since its inception colectomy has routinely been performed in the inpatient setting. The advent of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols has led improved outcomes, including decreased length of stay (LOS). These improvements have introduced the possibility of ambulatory colectomy. However, indications, protocols, and limitations of ambulatory colectomy have not been extensively explored. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review on ambulatory colectomies performed between February 2019 and August 2021. Patients were candidates for same day discharge (SDD) if they met rigorous preoperative criteria. Following an uncomplicated operation, strict postoperative parameters were required for safe discharge. If the patient underwent SDD following their operation, they were monitored closely via telehealth visits and/or patient communication messages until their one-week postoperative visit. RESULTS: From our review, we identified sixty-nine (n = 69) patients who underwent SDD after colectomy. Of the 69, only one patient was readmitted after discharge (1.4%). All procedures were performed via a robotic-assisted approach (Da Vinci Xi). None of the patients underwent conversion to an open procedure. The most frequently performed procedures included: low anterior resection (LAR) (n = 32, 46.4%) and right hemicolectomy (n = 11, 15.9%). CONCLUSION: Through proper patient education and strictly defined communication between the patient care teams, safe and effective care in the setting of SDD after colectomy can be provided. With recent technological advancements, enhanced mechanisms for patient education throughout all phases, and emerging means of patient-physician communication, via the data included herein the opportunity for same day discharge (SDD) after colectomy is a feasible and safe management plan in the proper patient.

Alterations of endophytic microbial community function in Spartina alterniflora as a result of crude oil exposure.

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster remains one of the largest oil spills in history. This event caused significant damage to coastal ecosystems, the full extent of which has yet to be fully determined. Crude oil contains toxic heavy metals and substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are detrimental to some microbial species and may be used as food and energy resources by others. As a result, oil spills have the potential to cause significant shifts in microbial communities. This study assessed the impact of oil contamination on the function of endophytic microbial communities associated with saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). Soil samples were collected from two locations in coastal Louisiana, USA: one severely affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and one relatively unaffected location. Spartina alterniflora seedlings were grown in both soil samples in greenhouses, and GeoChip 5.0 was used to evaluate the endophytic microbial metatranscriptome shifts in response to host plant oil exposure. Oil exposure was associated with significant shifts in microbial gene expression in functional categories related to carbon cycling, virulence, metal homeostasis, organic remediation, and phosphorus utilization. Notably, significant increases in expression were observed in genes related to metal detoxification with the exception of chromium, and both significant increases and decreases in expression were observed in functional gene subcategories related to hydrocarbon metabolism. These findings show that host oil exposure elicits multiple changes in gene expression from their endophytic microbial communities, producing effects that may potentially impact host plant fitness.

Divergent biotic and abiotic filtering of root endosphere and rhizosphere soil fungal communities along ecological gradients.

Plant roots assemble in two distinct microbial compartments: the rhizosphere (microbes in soil surrounding roots) and the endosphere (microbes within roots). Our knowledge of fungal community assembly in these compartments is limited, especially in wetlands. We tested the hypothesis that biotic factors would have direct effects on rhizosphere and endosphere assembly, while abiotic factors would have direct and indirect effects. Using a field study, we examined the influences of salinity, water level and biotic factors on baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) fungal communities. We found that endosphere fungi, unlike rhizosphere fungi, were correlated with host density and canopy cover, suggesting that hosts can impose selective filters on fungi colonizing their roots. Meanwhile, local abiotic conditions strongly influenced both rhizosphere and endosphere diversity in opposite patterns, e.g. highest endosphere diversity (hump-shaped) and lowest rhizosphere diversity (U-shaped) at intermediate salinity levels. These results indicate that the assembly and structure of the root endosphere and rhizosphere within a host can be shaped by different processes. Our results also highlight the importance of assessing how environmental changes affect plant and plant-associated fungal communities in wetland ecosystems where saltwater intrusion and sea level rise are major threats to both plant and fungal communities.

Rhizosphere microbial communities reflect genotypic and trait variation in a salt marsh ecosystem engineer.

PREMISE: There is growing recognition that intraspecific genetic variation in plants can influence associated soil microbial communities, but the functional bridges linking plant genotype with microbial community structure are not well understood. This deficit is due in part to a prevailing focus on characterizing relationships between microbial communities and functional trait variation among plant species or across plant communities, rather than within a single species. METHODS: We examined whether and how spatiotemporal variation in salt marsh rhizosphere microbial communities reflect plant provenance (genotypic variation) and associated trait variation within an ecosystem engineer, Spartina alterniflora. We planted S. alterniflora from four genetically distinct source populations in replicate sets of experimental plots across a shoreline in southeastern Louisiana, USA. After 2 years, we measured functional plant traits and profiled microbial communities. RESULTS: Bacterial and fungal α-diversity and richness were significantly higher in winter than in summer and corresponded to plant trait variation associated with provenance. Notably, 20% of the variation in fungal community composition was explained by trait differences while bacterial community structure did not reflect plant provenance or trait variation. However, evidence was found suggesting that bacterial communities are indirectly shaped by the influence of plant provenance on soil physicochemical properties. CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrates that intraspecific genetic and corresponding trait variation in an ecosystem engineer can shape rhizosphere microbial communities, with fungal communities being more responsive than bacteria to the influence of plant provenance and associated trait variation. Our results highlight the potential relevance of plant intraspecific variation in plant-microbe-soil feedbacks shaping naturally depauperate ecosystems like salt marshes.

Anthropogenic stressors affect fungal more than bacterial communities in decaying leaf litter: A stream mesocosm experiment.

Despite the progress made in environmental microbiology techniques and knowledge, the succession and functional changes of the microbial community under multiple stressors are still poorly understood. This is a substantial knowledge gap as microbial communities regulate the biogeochemistry of stream ecosystems. Our study assessed the structural and temporal changes in stream fungal and bacterial communities associated with decomposing leaf litter under a multiple-stressor scenario. We conducted a fully crossed 4-factor experiment in 64 flow-through mesocosms fed by a pristine montane stream (21 days of colonisation, 21 days of manipulations) and investigated the effects of nutrient enrichment, flow velocity reduction and sedimentation after 2 and 3 weeks of stressor exposure. We used high-throughput sequencing and metabarcoding techniques (16S and 18S rRNA genes) to identify changes in microbial community composition. Our results indicate that (1) shifts in relative abundances of the pre-existing terrestrial microbial community, rather than changes in community identity, drove the observed responses to stressors; (2) changes in relative abundances within the microbial community paralleled decomposition rate patterns with time; (3) both fungal and bacterial communities had a certain resistance to stressors, as indicated by relatively minor changes in alpha diversity or multivariate community structure; (4) overall, stressor interactions were more common than stressor main effects when affecting microbial diversity metrics or abundant individual genera; and (5) stressor effects on microbes often changed from 2 weeks to 3 weeks of stressor exposure, with several response patterns being reversed. Our study suggests that future research should focus more on understanding the temporal dynamics of fungal and bacterial communities and how they relate to ecosystem processes to advance our understanding of the mechanisms associated with multiple-stressor interactions.

Persisting responses of salt marsh fungal communities to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The plant microbiome, composed of diverse interacting microorganisms, is thought to undergird host integrity and well-being. Though it is well understood that environmental perturbations like oil pollution can alter the diversity and composition of microbiomes, remarkably little is known about how disturbance alters plant-fungal associations. Using Next-Generation sequencing of the 18S rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) region, we examined outcomes of enduring oil exposure on aboveground leaf and belowground endophytic root and rhizosphere fungal communities of Spartina alterniflora, a highly valued ecosystem engineer in southeastern Louisiana marshes affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident. We found that aboveground foliar fungal communities exhibited site-dependent compositional turnover with consequent loss in diversity according to oiling history. Rhizosphere soil communities also exhibited shifts in community composition associated with oiling history, whereas root endophytic communities did not. Oiling did not increase or decrease similarities among aboveground and belowground communities within an individual host, indicating that host plant characteristics exert stronger control than external factors on fungal community composition. These results show that fungal community responses to oiling vary within tissues of the same host plant, and that differences in the local environment, or alternatively, site-specific differences in residual oil constrain the magnitude of exposure responses. Our study offers novel perspectives on how environmental contaminants and perturbations can influence plant microbiomes, highlighting the importance of assessing long-term ecological outcomes of oil pollution to better understand how shifts in microbial communities influence plant performance and ecosystem function. Our findings are relevant to coastal management programs tasked with responding to oil spills and increasing pressures arising from intensifying development and climate change. Understanding how modification of plant-microbiome associations influences plant performance, particularly of ecosystem engineers like S. alterniflora, can help guide efforts to protect and restore at-risk coastal ecosystems.

Divergent drivers of leaf trait variation within species, among species, and among functional groups.

Understanding variation in leaf functional traits-including rates of photosynthesis and respiration and concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus-is a fundamental challenge in plant ecophysiology. When expressed per unit leaf area, these traits typically increase with leaf mass per area (LMA) within species but are roughly independent of LMA across the global flora. LMA is determined by mass components with different biological functions, including photosynthetic mass that largely determines metabolic rates and contains most nitrogen and phosphorus, and structural mass that affects toughness and leaf lifespan (LL). A possible explanation for the contrasting trait relationships is that most LMA variation within species is associated with variation in photosynthetic mass, whereas most LMA variation across the global flora is associated with variation in structural mass. This hypothesis leads to the predictions that (i) gas exchange rates and nutrient concentrations per unit leaf area should increase strongly with LMA across species assemblages with low LL variance but should increase weakly with LMA across species assemblages with high LL variance and that (ii) controlling for LL variation should increase the strength of the above LMA relationships. We present analyses of intra- and interspecific trait variation from three tropical forest sites and interspecific analyses within functional groups in a global dataset that are consistent with the above predictions. Our analysis suggests that the qualitatively different trait relationships exhibited by different leaf assemblages can be understood by considering the degree to which photosynthetic and structural mass components contribute to LMA variation in a given assemblage.

Data on strains of fungi cultured from baldcypress leaves and gall tissue.

We show the distribution of fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) cultured from leaves and galls of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) trees (Washburn and Van Bael, 2017) [1]. We include putative names when possible, guided by the nearest match in the NCBI databank. This data table shows only one representative of each OTU group and it's nearest match in the NCBI databank, along with information about coverage and percent match of the reads. In total there were 144 fungal cultures sequenced, and all sequences were deposited in the NCBI database under accession numbers KY765150-KY765293 (Washburn and Van Bael, 2017) [1].

Bird and bat predation services in tropical forests and agroforestry landscapes.

Understanding distribution patterns and multitrophic interactions is critical for managing bat- and bird-mediated ecosystem services such as the suppression of pest and non-pest arthropods. Despite the ecological and economic importance of bats and birds in tropical forests, agroforestry systems, and agricultural systems mixed with natural forest, a systematic review of their impact is still missing. A growing number of bird and bat exclosure experiments has improved our knowledge allowing new conclusions regarding their roles in food webs and associated ecosystem services. Here, we review the distribution patterns of insectivorous birds and bats, their local and landscape drivers, and their effects on trophic cascades in tropical ecosystems. We report that for birds but not bats community composition and relative importance of functional groups changes conspicuously from forests to habitats including both agricultural areas and forests, here termed 'forest-agri' habitats, with reduced representation of insectivores in the latter. In contrast to previous theory regarding trophic cascade strength, we find that birds and bats reduce the density and biomass of arthropods in the tropics with effect sizes similar to those in temperate and boreal communities. The relative importance of birds versus bats in regulating pest abundances varies with season, geography and management. Birds and bats may even suppress tropical arthropod outbreaks, although positive effects on plant growth are not always reported. As both bats and birds are major agents of pest suppression, a better understanding of the local and landscape factors driving the variability of their impact is needed.

Shifts in Symbiotic Endophyte Communities of a Foundational Salt Marsh Grass following Oil Exposure from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

Symbiotic associations can be disrupted by disturbance or by changing environmental conditions. Endophytes are fungal and bacterial symbionts of plants that can affect performance. As in more widely known symbioses, acute or chronic stressor exposure might trigger disassociation of endophytes from host plants. We tested this hypothesis by examining the effects of oil exposure following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill on endophyte diversity and abundance in Spartina alterniflora - the foundational plant in northern Gulf coast salt marshes affected by the spill. We compared bacterial and fungal endophytes isolated from plants in reference areas to isolates from plants collected in areas with residual oil that has persisted for more than three years after the DWH spill. DNA sequence-based estimates showed that oil exposure shifted endophyte diversity and community structure. Plants from oiled areas exhibited near total loss of leaf fungal endophytes. Root fungal endophytes exhibited a more modest decline and little change was observed in endophytic bacterial diversity or abundance, though a shift towards hydrocarbon metabolizers was found in plants from oiled sites. These results show that plant-endophyte symbioses can be disrupted by stressor exposure, and indicate that symbiont community disassembly in marsh plants is an enduring outcome of the DWH spill.

Pervasive effects of a dominant foliar endophytic fungus on host genetic and phenotypic expression in a tropical tree.

It is increasingly recognized that macro-organisms (corals, insects, plants, vertebrates) consist of both host tissues and multiple microbial symbionts that play essential roles in their host's ecological and evolutionary success. Consequently, identifying benefits and costs of symbioses, as well as mechanisms underlying them are research priorities. All plants surveyed under natural conditions harbor foliar endophytic fungi (FEF) in their leaf tissues, often at high densities. Despite producing no visible effects on their hosts, experiments have nonetheless shown that FEF reduce pathogen and herbivore damage. Here, combining results from three genomic, and two physiological experiments, we demonstrate pervasive genetic and phenotypic effects of the apparently asymptomatic endophytes on their hosts. Specifically, inoculation of endophyte-free (E-) Theobroma cacao leaves with Colletotrichum tropicale (E+), the dominant FEF species in healthy T. cacao, induces consistent changes in the expression of hundreds of host genes, including many with known defensive functions. Further, E+ plants exhibited increased lignin and cellulose content, reduced maximum rates of photosynthesis (Amax), and enrichment of nitrogen-15 and carbon-13 isotopes. These phenotypic changes observed in E+ plants correspond to changes in expression of specific functional genes in related pathways. Moreover, a cacao gene (Tc00g04254) highly up-regulated by C. tropicale also confers resistance to pathogen damage in the absence of endophytes or their products in host tissues. Thus, the benefits of increased pathogen resistance in E+ plants are derived in part from up-regulation of intrinsic host defense responses, and appear to be offset by potential costs including reduced photosynthesis, altered host nitrogen metabolism, and endophyte heterotrophy of host tissues. Similar effects are likely in most plant-endophyte interactions, and should be recognized in the design and interpretation of genetic and phenotypic studies of plants.

Symbiotic fungi alter plant chemistry that discourages leaf-cutting ants.

Fungal symbionts that live asymptomatically inside plant tissues (endophytes) can influence plant-insect interactions. Recent work has shown that damage by leaf-cutting ants, a major Neotropical defoliator, is reduced to almost half in plants with high densities of endophytes. We investigated changes in the phenotype of leaves that could influence ants' behavior to result in the reduction of foliar damage. We produced cucumber seedlings with high and low densities of one common endophyte species, Colletotrichum tropicale. We used the leaves in bioassays and to compare chemical and physical leaf characteristics important for ants' food selection. Ants cut about one-third more area of cucumber leaves with lower densities of endophytes and removed c. 20% more paper disks impregnated with the extracts of those leaves compared with leaves and disks from plants hosting the fungus. Colletotrichum tropicale colonization did not cause detectable changes in the composition of volatile compounds, cuticular waxes, nutrients or leaf toughness. Our study shows that endophytes changed leaf chemistry and suggests that compounds with relative low volatility released after leaf wounding are a major factor influencing foraging decisions by ants when choosing between plants with low or high endophyte loads.