Fungi associated with the aerial parts of Malaysian mangrove plants

The leaf surface fungi associated with nine species of mangrove plants includingAvicennia alba, A. officinalis, Bruguiera parviflora, Ceriops tagal, Rhizophora apiculata, R. mucronata, Sesuvium portulacastrum, Sonneratia alba, andXylocarpus mollucensis were studied using direct observation techniques and leaf washings. Over 40 fungal taxa were isolated from the leaf washings. Of these, species ofAspergillus, Choanephora, Cladosporium, Curvularia, Fusarium, Nigrospora, Penicillium, Pestalotiopsis, Trichoderma, andZygosporium were frequently encountered in the washings of all nine mangrove plants. Fewer species of fungi includingCladosporium oxysporum, Corynespora cassiicola, Fusarium, Penicillium, Pestalotiopsis, andZygosporium were capable of growth on the washed leaves. The major phylloplane fungus on plants with higher leaf tannin content (e.g.B. parviflora, C. tagal, Rhizophora spp., andX. mollucensis) wasPestalotiopsis. Leaves with relatively lower amounts of tannin supported the proliferation ofFusarium as the major fungus. Fungi were present on the plumule and cotyledonous sheath even before the leaves opened.Pestalotiopsis persisted throughout the development and growth of the leaves. Many of the fungi encountered on senescent leaves have been reported in earlier studies to be the primary colonisers of submerged decaying leaves.