Exploration of stem endophytic communities revealed developmental stage as one of the drivers of fungal endophytic community assemblages in two Amazonian hardwood genera

Authors: SKALTSAS, DEMETRA - University Of Maryland; BADOTTI, FERNANDA - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais; MARTINS, ALINA - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais; DA SILVA, FELIPE - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais; GAZIS, ROMINA - University Of Florida; WURDACK, KENNETH - Smithsonian Institute; Castlebury, Lisa; GÓES-NETO, ARISTÓTELES - Federal University Of Minas Gerais; CHAVERRI, PRISCILA - University Of Maryland

Submitted to: Scientific Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/5/2019
Publication Date: 9/3/2019
Citation: Skaltsas, D.N., Badotti, F., Martins, A.B., Da Silva, F.F., Gazis, R., Wurdack, K., Castlebury, L.A., Góes-Neto, A., Chaverri, P. 2019. Exploration of stem endophytic communities revealed developmental stage as one of the drivers of fungal endophytic community assemblages in two Amazonian hardwood genera. Scientific Reports. 9(1):12685. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-48943-2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-48943-2

Interpretive Summary: Fungi often co-exist with their host plants without causing disease and potentially provide beneficial effects to their host plants. Fungi associated with many important tropical plant species, such as rubber trees that produce the latex required for making rubber, are not well known. In this study the fungi associated with wild rubber trees and a related tree in Peru were identified using two methods, one based on isolating fungi from plant parts and one based on direct DNA sequencing of stem tissue or wood. Many potentially pathogenic fungi and beneficial fungi were identified and the results of the two methods compared. This information will be used by plant pathologists and rubber producers to determine if fungi present in wild trees may be beneficial in protecting trees from diseases such as South American Leaf Blight, a disease that can destroy rubber plantations, or if new pathogens may be present in wild trees.

Technical Abstract: Many aspects of the dynamics of tropical fungal endophyte communities are poorly known including the influence of host taxonomy, host life stage, and anthropogenic disturbance on community assembly and composition. We determined the endophyte communities associated with two developmental stages (seedlings and adults) of the commercial rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis and six close relatives (Hevea spp. and Micrandra spp.). Through a culture-based approach, we sampled a total of 381 seedlings and 144 adults distributed across three remote areas within the Peruvian Amazon. In addition, at one site we used culture-independent, metagenomic approaches, to investigate the influence of laboratory methodology on recovered patterns of community composition and abundance. Results from both approaches indicate that host development stage has a greater influence than host taxonomy or locality. Trichoderma was the most abundant genus recovered from adult trees, while Diaporthe was dominant in seedlings. Finally, we also found that endophyte species richness and diversity were lower in disturbed habitats suggesting that human disturbance may have a strong influence on the establishment of fungal species assemblages.