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Fungal endophytes occur in leaves of angiosperm and gymnosperm trees. The occurrence and distribution of fungal endophytes in the leaves of trees growing in four different types of tropical forests in the Western Ghats were studied. One thousand five hundred leaf segments from five different hosts were screened for each forest type. Endophyte communities of trees of the semi-evergreen forest showed the highest species diversity. More endophyte isolates were recovered during the wet season. Although several genera of endophytes were common for different hosts growing in different forests, the dominant endophyte was different for different forest types. Our results suggest that although tropical trees individually may be endophyte rich, the overall endophyte diversity of the entire plant community is not exceptional.Key words: tropical forests, fungal endophytes, fungal diversity, foliar endophytes.

Endophytic fungi were isolated from leaves of Rhizophora apiculata Bl. and Rhizophora mucronata Lamk., two typical mangrove plants growing in the Pichavaram mangrove of Tamil Nadu, Southern India. Three hundred leaf segments from each plant species were sampled during dry and rainy months. More endophytes could be isolated during the rainy months than during the dry period. Hyphomycetes and sterile forms were more prevalent than ascomycetes or coelomycetes. Sporormiella minima, Acremonium sp. strain MG1 and a sterile fungus (MG90) were isolated from both plants irrespective of the season. Some endophytes were common to both plants, although a few appeared to be host specific. This is the first report on fungal endophytes in leaves of mangrove plants in India.Key words: endophytic fungi, Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata, mangrove, leaves.

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Foliar endophyte assemblages of teak trees growing in dry deciduous and moist deciduous forests of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve were compared. A species of Phomopsis dominated the endophyte assemblages of teak, irrespective of the location of the host trees. Internal transcribed spacer sequence analysis of 11 different Phomopsis isolates (ten from teak and one from Cassia fistula) showed that they fall into two groups, which are separated by a relatively long branch that is strongly supported. The results showed that this fungus is not host restricted and that it continues to survive as a saprotroph in teak leaf, possibly by exploiting senescent leaves as well as the litter. Although the endophyte assemblage of a teak tree growing about 500 km from the forests was also dominated by a Phomopsis sp., it separated into a different group based on internal transcribed spacer sequence analysis. Our results with an endophytic Phomopsis sp. reinforce the earlier conclusions reached by others for pathogenic Phomopsis sp., i.e., that this fungus is not host specific, and the species concept of Phomopsis needs to be redefined.

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