Abstract
Microorganisms in marine ecosystems are exposed to harsh conditions, thus such systems are of interest in bioprospecting for useful secondary metabolites. The aim of the study was to isolate and identify the fungal endophytes that colonize mangroves. The fungal endophytes were isolated from the leaves, roots, and branches of different mangrove plants (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Heritiera littoralis, Xylocarpus granatum, Rhizophora mucronata, and Avicennia marina) from Mida creek, Tudor creek and Gazi bay using Point-Centered Quarter Sampling method and then, morphologically characterized. A total of 76 fungal isolates were obtained and identified using macro- and micro-morphological features. The isolates were affiliated with eight different genera (Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Nigrospora, Fusarium, Alternaria, Lasiodiplodia, Chaetomium and Penicillum). Aspergillus spp. were the most prominent with a colonization frequency of 38.9 and 55.6% in root and branch tissues, respectively while Chaetomium species were the least frequent appearing only in one branch tissue. Mida creek had the highest total number of endophytic isolates (52.6%) followed by Gazi bay (27.6%). Majority (30.3%) of the endophytic fungal isolates were obtained from Avicennia marina. The results indicate that mangrove species are a source of diverse endophytic fungi that may have useful biotechnological applications. Key words: Mangrove species, endophytic fungi, fungi diversity, colonization frequency.
Highlights
In Kenya, Mangrove forests cover approximately 61,271 ha and are estimated to make up 3% of the total area occupied by natural forest (Kairo et al, 2017)
Fungal colonies were grouped according to color, shape, and topography followed by microscopic examination of the isolates for characterization of hyphae, mycelium color, type of spores, sporangia, Number of plant tissue colonized by each endophytic fungi (Ncol)
Total number of plant tissue studied (Nt) conidia, sporangiophore and conidiophores arrangement (Figure 3). This examination led to the classification of the 76 isolates into 8 genera (Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Nigrospora, Fusarium, Alternaria, Lasiodiplodia, Chaetomium, and Penicillum)
Summary
In Kenya, Mangrove forests cover approximately 61,271 ha and are estimated to make up 3% of the total area occupied by natural forest (Kairo et al, 2017). Endophytic microorganisms are fungi and bacteria that colonize interor intra-cellular spaces of plant tissues during at least one phase of their life cycle as described by Compant and Vacher (2019). It has been reported that endophytic fungi are known to produce secondary metabolites with bioabsorption systems application in removing heavy metal ions from water. Aspergillus niger has been shown to remove lead, cadmium, copper, and nickel ions from wastewater (Ling et al, 2016). It has pharmaceutical application in the production of antimicrobials that inhibit the development of pathogens (Rao et al, 2020). Fungal endophytes colonize the interior parts of healthy plant tissues without causing symptoms of a disease (Kaul et al, 2014)
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