Biodiversity of Eucalyptus endophytic fungi across different climates in Iran

Geographic Variation Characteristics of Endophytic Bacterial Communities in Roots of Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. sinensis Rousi in the Arid Region of Northwest China

As an endemic woody plant resource widely distributed in the arid regions of northwestern China, Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. sinensis Rousi possesses both ecological and medicinal value. Elucidating the effects of climate and soil conditions on the composition, structure, and function of its root-associated bacterial communities is of practical significance for the development and utilization of these indigenous plant resources in this water-limited region. In this study, root samples of H. rhamnoides were collected from 12 sampling sites in the arid region of Northwest China. High-throughput amplicon sequencing was employed to examine bacterial composition, alpha and beta diversity, molecular co-occurrence networks, and PICRUSt-based functional prediction. Mantel tests and redundancy analysis (RDA) were further applied to identify what is associated with shaping bacterial community structure. The main results are summarized as follows: (1) There were significant differences in the number of ASVs among the various sampling sites, with the P8 site having the highest number (435) and the P5 site having the lowest (156). The dominant phyla in the community were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Cyanobacteria. (2) Both α and β diversity showed significant differentiation among the 12 sampling sites. The Ace and Chao1 indices of P8 sampling sites were the highest, while P5 sampling sites were the lowest. In terms of community aggregation, P7 and P12 sampling sites showed tighter clustering, whereas P4 and P5 sampling sites showed more scattered bacterial assemblages. (3) Functional prediction suggested that metabolism, environmental information processing, and genetic information processing functional potential may all be dominant across 12 sampling sites. The abundance of environmental information predicted that the processing functional potential of the P9 sampling site was higher than that of the other 11 sampling sites, while the genetic information processing functional potential was low. (4) Cluster analysis grouped the 12 sampling sites into two groups: sampling sites P10, P11, and P12 were grouped into Group 1, while the remaining 9 sampling sites were grouped into Group 2. (5) RDA revealed that altitude was associated with shaping the root endophytic bacterial community structure of H. rhamnoides, followed by soil total nitrogen. Taken together, the H. rhamnoides populations investigated and sampled in this study were predominantly distributed in neutral-to-alkaline arid soils. The relevant environmental factors are significantly correlated with the alpha diversity patterns of root endophytic bacteria of this species, and they can modulate the community assembly processes, functional allocation characteristics, and co-occurrence network structures of these root endophytic bacteria.

Seasonal Diversity of Endophytic Fungi in Camphora bodinieri with Citral Chemotype

To investigate the influence of seasonal dynamics on the endophytic fungal community of Camphora bodinieri with citral chemotype, we employed standardized sampling and high-throughput sequencing to analyze the diversity, composition, and structure of endophytic fungi across different seasons. A total of 1825 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) were obtained, belonging to 12 phyla, 43 classes, 104 orders, 239 families, 449 genera, and 663 species. Among them, 23 ASVs were shared across all four seasons, suggesting the presence of a core fungal community. The number of season-specific ASVs was highest in autumn (730), followed by summer (336), spring (325), and winter (202). The results showed that season significantly affected the Shannon (F3,9 = 5.927, p = 0.016) and Simpson (F3,9 = 4.892, p = 0.026) indices, with the diversity and species richness of endophytic fungi being highest in autumn and lowest in winter. Across different tissues, the similarity of endophytic fungal communities between leaves and stems was comparatively higher than that with roots. Furthermore, different fungal taxa exhibited differential distribution patterns along temperature–moisture gradients. This study explored the seasonal diversity of endophytic fungi in C. bodinieri with citral chemotype, providing a theoretical basis for understanding host–endophyte interactions.

Endophytic fungi dominate alkaloid variation in Aconitum carmichaelii Debx.: insights from multiregional analysis of environmental and microbial factors

Revista de Ciências Agroambientais

Unraveling the Hidden Endophytic Fungal Diversity in the Medicinally Important Species of Passiflora from Western Ghats

Endophytes are microorganisms that grow within plant tissues in a symbiotic relationship without causing disease. In this study, five medicinally important Passiflora species viz., P. edulis, P. foetida, P. incarnata, P. subpeltata and P. vitifolia, were chosen to isolate, identify and assess the diversity of foliar endophytic fungi. A total of 89 fungal isolates representing 15 distinct fungal taxa were obtained from 500 healthy leaf segments, resulting in an overall Colonization Frequency (CF) of 17.8%. The study revealed that P. subpeltata harbored the highest CF (24%), while P. foetida showed least CF (13%). The dominant fungal endophyte among the isolates was Trichoderma spp. Diversity assessments showed significant variation among Passiflora species, P. subpeltata exhibited the highest species richness (3.776) and P. edulis had the highest Simpson dominance index (0.952), suggesting that a few fungal taxa were predominant in this host. The observed variations in species richness, diversity and CF imply that environmental variables and hostspecific characteristics were crucial in forming endophytic fungal communities. Overall, the findings demonstrated that Passiflora spp. harbor a rich and diverse assemblage of endophytic fungi and provide a strong foundation for subsequent studies focusing on the ecological significance and potential pharmaceutical, agricultural and biotechnological applications.

Impact of forest fragmentation on the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in selected tree species and associated rhizosphere in the Taita Hills, Kenya