Molecular phylogenetic identification of endophytic fungi isolated from three Artemisia species

Abstract

Diverse fungal species live inside plant tissues, some of which presumably occur in a mutualistic association. Some fungal endophytes are widespread and can be found in many different plant species, whereas others are highly specific to single hosts. In this study, we investigated the taxonomic identities and phylogenetic relationships of fungal endophytes isolated from three plant species, Artemisia capillaris, A. indica, and A. lactiflora, using a combination of morphological and molecular approaches. Morphological differences among the fungal isolates indicate that diverse distinct morphotypes might be present within the hosts. Thirty-four fungal isolates were selected for further molecular phylogenetic analysis using nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences, including both the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) and the 5.8S gene region. The 34 endophytes were identified to various taxonomic levels, and some to the species level based on fungal sequences with known identities in GenBank. Our results suggest that Alternoria, Colletotrichum, Phomopsis, and Xylaria species are the dominant fungal endophytes in the Artemisia hosts, and some of these endophytes exhibit host and tissue specificity. This aspect can be further explored to understand the relationships between plant hosts and their fungal endophytes.