Diversity of bacterial and fungal endophytic communities presents in the leaf blades of Sinningia magnifica, Sinningia schiffneri and Sinningia speciosa from different cladus of Gesneriaceae family: A comparative analysis in three consecutive years

Abstract

Sinningia is a genus of plants of Gesneriaceae family with species native to Brazil and is a source of several classes of bioactive secondary metabolites, such as quinones, terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenylethanoid glycosides. However, the diversity of endophytic microorganisms associated with them and the impact of endophytes on the biosynthesis of bioactive substances is unknown. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the microbial diversity, behavior, and frequency of endophytes in leaves blades of S. magnifica, S. schiffneri, and S. speciosa. These plants were collected in different regions and environments of Brazil and were studied comparatively for three consecutive years. The total DNA obtained from the blades of the plant leaves were sequenced by the Illumina MiSeq platform, followed by bioinformatics analysis to assess the microbial diversity of endophytes associated with each plant species and study year. The results of the taxonomic diversity showed a dynamic microbial community, which contained several bacterial phyla among them, Actinomycetota, Bacteroidota, Bacillota, and Pseudomonadota, and for the fungal phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Comparing the three years of study, the richness of the genera, over time, was decreasing, with signs of recovery towards the third year. The alpha and beta diversity indices confirm a great phylogenetic richness in the endophytic communities of bacteria and fungi associated with the leaf blades of Sinningia. However, these communities are comparatively little conserved, showing population and taxonomic changes of the microorganisms over time, possibly as a measure of adjustment to environmental conditions, evidencing both its fragility and versatility against the effects of environmental change on its endophytic microbial communities.