Mollusc herbivory influenced by endophytic clavicipitaceous fungal infections in grasses

Clavicipitaceous fungi of the genus Neotyphodium occur widely as mutualistic, systemic, seed‐borne infections in festucoid grasses. Grass infection by these fungi is associated with the presence of a range of secondary metabolites (SM), several of which have been demonstrated to confer to the plant resistance against herbivorous vertebrates and insects. An initial experiment demonstrated that endophytic infection by Neotyphodium can influence the utilisation of grasses by Deroceras, with feeding preferences and impact on plant yields affected differentially by endophytes with different SM profiles. The role of Neotyphodium SM in feeding preferences of Deroceras slugs were then evaluated in artificial diets. Among the indole diterpenoids tested, lolitrem B was demonstrated to reduce feeding, while diets containing paxilline, lolitriol, α‐paxitriol and β‐paxitriol tended to be preferred over that of untreated diet. The pyrrolopyrazine alkaloid peramine had no effect. Among the ergopeptine alkaloids tested in the diets, ergotamine and ergovaline were demonstrated to be phagostimulatory. These results with artificial diets were generally consistent with Deroceras reticulatum preferences among plants of known Neotyphodium endophyte strain and SM profile. Deroceras slugs obtained from sites containing contrasting frequencies of Neotyphodium‐infected grasses, exhibited differential responses to Neotyphodium SM incorporated into artificial diet. This study demonstrates that infection of grasses by different isolates of Neotyphodium endophytes differentially influence herbivory by molluscs, reflecting their SM profile. These results offer an explanation for variable acceptability of grasses to molluscs and their importance in the diet of molluscs in the field reported in previous studies in both natural and agricultural systems. Neotyphodium endophytes potentially offer novel approaches to management of mollusc pests in agricultural gramineous crops.