Taxonorny and ecology of endophytic fungi

Abstract

　Studies on the taxonomy and ecology of endophytic fungi of ericaceous plants, mangrove trees, and chenopodiaceous halophytes have afforded biological information on not only endophytic fungi, but also fungi known as saprophytes or plant pathogens. In the course of the studies, three new taxa living in plant tissues were described, Guignardia endophyllicola (anamorph Phyllosticta capitalensis, Mycosphaerellaceae) and Discostroma tricellulare (anamorph Seimatosporium azaleae, Amphisphaeriaceae) from ericaceous plants, and Surculiseries rugispora (mitosporic fungi, Xylariaceae) from Bruguiera gymnorrhiza. These studies also revealed several ecological phenomena: 1) successional changes and life cycles of major endophytes of ericaceous plants, 2) the broad host range and distribution of G. endophyllicola, 3) the site-specificity of flora of endophytes on B. gymnorrhiza, and 4) the host-preference and universality of flora of endophytes on Salicornia europaea and other chenopodiaceous plants growing in salt marshes. Such information acquired from studies on endophytic fungi contributes to clarification of the diversity of fungi associated with plants.