Culture-based and Sanger sequencing approaches to uncover the diversity of leaf-fungal endophytes in neotropical gymnosperms
Endophytic fungi play a crucial role in the survival and adaptation of their host plants. In recent decades, unprecedented diversity of endophytic fungi has been reported in angiosperms, but knowledge about this diversity in tropical gymnosperms is lacking. Among gymnosperms, cycads (Cycadales) are...
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Universidad de Panamá
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Tecnociencia |
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| Online Access: | https://www.revistas.up.ac.pa/index.php/tecnociencia/article/view/6647 |
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| author | Omayra Meléndez Rita Bethancourt Ariadna Bethancourt Lilisbeth Rodríguez–Castro Jorge Mendieta Armando A. Durant Archibold Marta Vargas Brian Sedio Kristin Saltonstall Juan Carlos Villarreal A. |
| author_facet | Omayra Meléndez Rita Bethancourt Ariadna Bethancourt Lilisbeth Rodríguez–Castro Jorge Mendieta Armando A. Durant Archibold Marta Vargas Brian Sedio Kristin Saltonstall Juan Carlos Villarreal A. |
| author_sort | Omayra Meléndez |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Endophytic fungi play a crucial role in the survival and adaptation of their host plants. In recent decades, unprecedented diversity of endophytic fungi has been reported in angiosperms, but knowledge about this diversity in tropical gymnosperms is lacking. Among gymnosperms, cycads (Cycadales) are important components of Neotropical forests with high levels of endemism in Central and South America. We used a combination of axenic culture and Sanger sequencing to isolate and identify leaf endophytes of two endemic cycads from humid forests of Panama, Zamia nana and Z. pseudoparasitica. The latter is the only known epiphytic gymnosperm. In Z. pseudoparasitica, 50 morphotypes were isolated from El Copé, 58 from Santa Fe, and 22 from Cerro Marta. We sampled one wild population of Z. nana (El Valle de Antón), from which we recovered 74 morphotypes. We also sampled Z. nana from the International Garden of Cycads in Panama City. Sequencing of 69 cultures with the ITS rRNA locus identified several ascomycetes: Colletotrichum, Cercophora, Hypoxylon, Phyllosticta, Xylaria, and a basidiomycete: Tritirachium. This is one of the first studies to document the diversity of endophytic fungi in a Neotropical gymnosperm and provides a window into the endophytic fungi that inhabit the leaves of tropical plants.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6233853f714441e89acd7ce794476459 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1609-8102 2415-0940 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Universidad de Panamá |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tecnociencia |
| spelling | doaj-art-6233853f714441e89acd7ce7944764592025-01-03T15:35:40ZengUniversidad de PanamáTecnociencia1609-81022415-09402025-01-0127110.48204/j.tecno.v27n1.a6647Culture-based and Sanger sequencing approaches to uncover the diversity of leaf-fungal endophytes in neotropical gymnospermsOmayra Meléndez0Rita Bethancourt1Ariadna Bethancourt2Lilisbeth Rodríguez–Castro3Jorge Mendieta4Armando A. Durant Archibold 5Marta Vargas6Brian Sedio7Kristin Saltonstall 8Juan Carlos Villarreal A. 9Universidad de Panamá, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Panamá. Universidad de Panamá, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Panamá. Universidad de Panamá, Facultad de ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Panamá. Universidad de Panamá, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Departamento de Botánica, Panamá. Universidad de Panamá, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Departamento de Botánica, Panamá. Universidad de Panamá, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Departamento de Bioquímica, Panamá. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancón, Panamá. University of Texas, Austin, Texas, United States & Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancón, Panamá. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancón, Panamá. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancón, Panamá & Department of Biology, Université Laval, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada. corresponding Endophytic fungi play a crucial role in the survival and adaptation of their host plants. In recent decades, unprecedented diversity of endophytic fungi has been reported in angiosperms, but knowledge about this diversity in tropical gymnosperms is lacking. Among gymnosperms, cycads (Cycadales) are important components of Neotropical forests with high levels of endemism in Central and South America. We used a combination of axenic culture and Sanger sequencing to isolate and identify leaf endophytes of two endemic cycads from humid forests of Panama, Zamia nana and Z. pseudoparasitica. The latter is the only known epiphytic gymnosperm. In Z. pseudoparasitica, 50 morphotypes were isolated from El Copé, 58 from Santa Fe, and 22 from Cerro Marta. We sampled one wild population of Z. nana (El Valle de Antón), from which we recovered 74 morphotypes. We also sampled Z. nana from the International Garden of Cycads in Panama City. Sequencing of 69 cultures with the ITS rRNA locus identified several ascomycetes: Colletotrichum, Cercophora, Hypoxylon, Phyllosticta, Xylaria, and a basidiomycete: Tritirachium. This is one of the first studies to document the diversity of endophytic fungi in a Neotropical gymnosperm and provides a window into the endophytic fungi that inhabit the leaves of tropical plants. https://www.revistas.up.ac.pa/index.php/tecnociencia/article/view/6647Endophytic fungiColletotrichumTritirachiumXylariaZamia |
| spellingShingle | Omayra Meléndez Rita Bethancourt Ariadna Bethancourt Lilisbeth Rodríguez–Castro Jorge Mendieta Armando A. Durant Archibold Marta Vargas Brian Sedio Kristin Saltonstall Juan Carlos Villarreal A. Culture-based and Sanger sequencing approaches to uncover the diversity of leaf-fungal endophytes in neotropical gymnosperms Tecnociencia Endophytic fungi Colletotrichum Tritirachium Xylaria Zamia |
| title | Culture-based and Sanger sequencing approaches to uncover the diversity of leaf-fungal endophytes in neotropical gymnosperms |
| title_full | Culture-based and Sanger sequencing approaches to uncover the diversity of leaf-fungal endophytes in neotropical gymnosperms |
| title_fullStr | Culture-based and Sanger sequencing approaches to uncover the diversity of leaf-fungal endophytes in neotropical gymnosperms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Culture-based and Sanger sequencing approaches to uncover the diversity of leaf-fungal endophytes in neotropical gymnosperms |
| title_short | Culture-based and Sanger sequencing approaches to uncover the diversity of leaf-fungal endophytes in neotropical gymnosperms |
| title_sort | culture based and sanger sequencing approaches to uncover the diversity of leaf fungal endophytes in neotropical gymnosperms |
| topic | Endophytic fungi Colletotrichum Tritirachium Xylaria Zamia |
| url | https://www.revistas.up.ac.pa/index.php/tecnociencia/article/view/6647 |
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