Fungal endophyte communities in four Rhizophoraceae mangrove species on the south coast of China

This study investigated the taxonomic identities and diversity of fungal endophytes isolated from four Rhizophoraceae mangrove plant species, Ceriops tagal, Rhizophora apiculata, R. stylosa and Bruguiera sexangula var. rhynchopetala, using a combination of morphological and molecular approaches. Two hundred ninety-five isolates were classified into 38 taxa by morphological characteristics. The representative 38 isolates from each taxa were selected for further molecular identification using nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences, including both the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) and the 5.8S gene region. The 38 representative endophytes were identified to various taxonomic levels. These results suggest that Pestalotiopsis and Phomopsis were the most frequent endophytes in the four host species. Some of the endophytes exhibit host and tissue specificity. The colonization frequencies of endophytic fungi in the stems of the four host plants are evidently higher than in the roots. The four Rhizophoraceae mangrove species have low similarities of endophyte communities.