Discovering the Diversity of Cultivable Endophytic Fungi in a Decumbent Subshrub Endemic of the Brazilian Tropical Savanna

Abstract

Abstract The diversity of cultivable endophytic fungi in native subshrubs of the Brazilian Cerrado is largely unknown. Given the lack of knowledge, this study investigated the cultivable endophytic mycobiome of stems, leaves, and flowers of Peltaea polymorpha (Malvaceae). In total, 208 endophytic fungi were isolated, 95 from stems, 65 from leaves, and 48 from flowers. The isolates were classified as ascomycetes belonging to three classes, eight orders, ten families, 12 genera, and 31 species. Diaporthe, Nigrospora, and Colletrotrichum were the dominant genera in the three analyzed organs. The richness estimators suggested that the number of species might be slightly higher than observed. The highest values for the Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were observed in stems. Beta diversity showed overlapping of fungal communities in different organs, with a high rate of sharing of taxa. Furthermore, the dominant primary fungal lifestyles were plant pathogens and saprobes. Our findings show that the cultivable endophytic fungal community of P. polymorpha is species-rich and that communities in different organs share numerous genera and species. Finally, our findings reinforce the importance of the Brazilian Cerrado as a reservoir of fungal species to contribute to the national and global estimations of mycodiversity.