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Dryad

Data from: Fungal symbionts generate water-saver and water-spender plant drought strategies via diverse effects on host gene expression

Abstract

Panicum hallii var hallii HAL2 plants were inoculated individually with six foliar fungal endophytes or fungus-free controls and subjected to 5% or 20% soil moisture treatments. The fungi were selected for their previously observed effects on plant drought physiology, inducing either a “water saver” or a “water spender” strategy in the host. Plants were grown in enclosed microcosms to prevent cross-contamination and each treatment and control included 6 replicates. All fungi were Ascomycetes isolated from plants in central Texas. Plants were monitored for height, wilt, water loss, and survival. At the harvest, we also measured biomass and leaf colonization by the fungi and flash-froze leaf tissue for transcriptomic analyses. Both plant response and gene expression data are provided.