Fungal Communities in the Native New Zealand Medicinal Plant Pseudowintera colorata (Horopito) Are Determined by Plant Organ Type and Host Maturity with Key Members Promoting Plant Growth

Abstract

The plant Pseudowintera colorata is well known for its antimicrobial and medicinal properties and is endemic to New Zealand. Using PCR-Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), we investigated the factors influencing the composition of endophytic fungal communities in P. colorata from ten distinct sites across New Zealand. Our results showed that plant organs of P. colorata influenced the diversity and richness of endophytic fungi (PERMANOVA, p < 0.05). In addition, plant maturity and its interactions revealed that endophytic fungal communities formed discrete clusters in leaves, stems, and roots of mature and immature P. colorata plants (PERMANOVA; p = 0.002, p = 0.001 and p = 0.039, respectively). For identifying isolates with biocontrol potential, dual culture tests were set up against four different phytopathogenic fungi. Isolates with high activity (zone of inhibition > 10 mm) were sequenced and identified as Trichoderma harzianum, Pezicula neosporulosa, Fusariumtricinctum, Metarhizium sp., and Chaetomium sp. Applying selected endophytic fungi (n = 7) as soil drenchers significantly increased the growth of P. colorata seedlings and produced more internodes. Seedling shoots treated with Trichoderma sp. PRY2BA21 were 2.2 × longer (8.36 cm) than the untreated controls (3.72 cm). Our results elucidate the main plant factors influencing fungal community composition and demonstrate a role for endophytic fungi in P. colorata growth and further demonstrate that medicinal plants are a rich source of endophytes with potential as biocontrol agents.

How Deep Can the Endophytic Mycobiome Go? A Case Study on Six Woody Species from the Brazilian Cerrado

“…The variability of fungal species isolated from different host plant species in the same habitat was reported in previous studies of cultivable endophytic fungi [23,31,74,75] and leaf litter fungi [76]. One explanation for these variations refers to the "environmental filtering" effect exerted by the host plant identity in conjunction with the plant-fungus symbiont coevolution relationship [20,21,77]. In this context, the phytochemistry and nutritional resources from plant tissues may act as selection factors for endophytic plant colonization [20,21,77].…”

“…Because of the co-evolution process, endophytic fungi display variable degrees of specialization depending on the host plant range they are able to colonize [13][14][15][16][17][18]. The host plant identity strongly predicts the pool of fungal species capable of endophytic colonization [18][19][20][21]. Therefore, the endophytic mycobiome is pre-defined by a set of factors including the degree of fungal specialization in colonizing one or more host plants and the host identity factor (genotype and phenotype), which acts as an environmental filter.…”

Additions to the Knowledge of the Genus Pezicula (Dermateaceae, Helotiales, Ascomycota) in China

“…Subsequently, a strain was isolated from soil in Korea [ 51 ]. It is also known as an endophytic fungus of Pseudowintera colorata , an endemic medicinal plant of New Zealand [ 52 ]. The strain VDBF-2 isolated from Vaccinium dunalianum in Yunnan Province showed strong antagonistic effects against plant pathogens and wood-decaying fungi [ 30 ].…”

The Hidden World within Plants

“…Endophytic microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, algae) display multiple beneficial effects on their host plants such as an increase in the resistance to pathogens as well as tolerance to abiotic stresses (cold, dryness); the promotion of plant growth and increase in crop yields through the production of hormones; and an improvement in nutrients uptake, etc. These latter aspects and the appropriate characterization of endophytes in plants are described in the following five papers [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”

“…If the endophytic bacterial community and that of actinobacteria have already been studied in that plant, no report has been published regarding its endophytic fungal community to date. The article of Purushotham et al [ 2 ] provides the first report on the fungal endophytic flora of P. colorata . PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis showed the relationship between the different endophytic fungal communities in this plant and the type of organ, as well as the plant’s age.…”