Endophytes of Forest Trees

Download or read book Endophytes of Forest Trees written by Anna Maria Pirttilä and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-07-11 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Found in every plant species, the diversity of endophytic micro-organisms can be extremely high within different plant organs and tissue types. In trees, their ecological roles with respect to host tree can vary from latent pathogens or saprophytes to neutral commensalists and mutualists. Given their high diversity, and their bio-active nature, endophytes are currently being associated with a role in tree health against insect herbivores and fungal pathogens, as well as improving tree properties in phytoremediation. Meanwhile there is increasing interest in the potential of some tree endophytes as new sources of drug compounds. The first book on tree endophytes in several years, and containing contributions from leading authors in the field, this book provides an important reference text for professional researchers and advanced students.