Abstract
Endophytic fungi are those that colonize the living tissues of plants without causing any disease symptoms. As colonisers of different parts and species of plants, they offer protection to the plant against herbivore and insect pest damages while also producing secondary metabolites which can be used in biotechnological processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity of endophytic fungi colonizing the leaves of the Avicenna germinans (Black mangrove), Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove) and Laguncularia racemosa (white mangrove), from Palmyra, Bush Lot Beach and Wellington Park Beach, Corentyne, Berbice, Guyana South America. A total of 303 isolates were obtained from this study. These isolates were classified into 18 species and 9 genera. The 18 species obtained are Aspergillus calidoustus, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. luchuensis, A. nidulans, A. niger, A. terreus. Aspergillus spp., Alternaria spp., Candida krusei, Cladosporium spp., Curvurlaria spp., Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp., Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium citrinum, Pythopthora spp., and Rhizopus spp. Based on the Shannon Weiner Diversity Index (H’) calculation, Avicenna germinans was found to have the greatest species diversity followed by Rhizophora mangle and then Laguncularia racemosa. Aspergillus was found to be the most dominant genus of all isolates with A. niger and A. flavus being the most common species among all three species of mangroves.
Highlights
Fungi are a kingdom of multicellular and unicellular organisms that are found in a variety of habitats ranging from water, plants, animals, and soil [1]
The aim of this study was to determine and compare the diversity of endophytic fungi colonizing the leaves of A. germinans, L. racemosa and R. mangle from Corentyne, Berbice, Guyana
Leaves for the A. germinans, L. racemosa were collected from the mangrove forests at Wellington Park and Bush Lot, while leaves from the R. mangle were collected from Palmyra; since these species where found at those specific areas
Summary
Fungi are a kingdom of multicellular and unicellular organisms that are found in a variety of habitats ranging from water, plants, animals, and soil [1]. Endophytic fungi are important in biotechnological processes, since they are known for producing a high diversity of substances with potential medical, agricultural, and industrial application [3] [4]. They have a rich source of secondary metabolites which act as biologically active agents in higher plants. The natural compounds of the endophytes act as growth inhibitors of plant pathogens [5]
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