Abstract
The colonization characteristics and diversity of dark septate endophytes (DSE) associated with plants growing in a lead and zinc slag heap with a more than 250-year history in southwestern China were assessed. A total of 117 plant samples belonging to 29 species and 19 families were examined, and 97% (28/29) were colonized by dark septate fungal hyphae or microsclerotia. DSE colonization intensity varied greatly across plant species and also across individuals of the same species, showing a hyphal colonization range of 0.0–35.7%. In total, 38 melanized root-associated fungi with various morphological characteristics were isolated and 82% (31/38) of fungi were closely related to well-known DSE fungi, such as Exophiala spp., Phialophora (= Cadophora) spp., Phialocephala spp., and Leptodontidium spp. Among these, Phialophora and Exophiala were the dominant genera. Our results showed that DSE dominantly colonized the roots of the pioneer plants growing in such an ancient Pb-Zn slag heap. By contributing to metal tolerance and nutrient acquisition, DSE may be integral to the function of metal mine ecosystems.
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