Exploring Rubiaceae fungal endophytes across contrasting tropical forests, tree tissues, and developmental stages
Fungal endophytes play a pivotal role in tropical forest dynamics, influencing plant fitness through growth stimulation, disease suppression, stress tolerance, and nutrient mobilization. This study investigates the effects of region, leaf developmental stage, and tissue type on endophyte communities...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Peer Community In
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Peer Community Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.526/ |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1839606320740696064 |
|---|---|
| author | Castillo-González, Humberto Slot, Jason C. Yarwood, Stephanie Chaverri, Priscila |
| author_facet | Castillo-González, Humberto Slot, Jason C. Yarwood, Stephanie Chaverri, Priscila |
| author_sort | Castillo-González, Humberto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fungal endophytes play a pivotal role in tropical forest dynamics, influencing plant fitness through growth stimulation, disease suppression, stress tolerance, and nutrient mobilization. This study investigates the effects of region, leaf developmental stage, and tissue type on endophyte communities in tropical plants. Young and mature leaves were collected from 47 Rubiaceae species, and sapwood from 23 species, in old-growth forests of Golfito and Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Fungal diversity and composition were assessed through metabarcoding of the ITS2 nrDNA region. Most identified ASVs belonged to the phylum Ascomycota. The orders Botryosphaeriales and Glomerellales significantly contributed to endophytic assemblages, without detection of host-specific communities. We observed significant differences in species richness across regions, confirming distinct compositions through beta diversity. No statistically significant variances were found between mature and juvenile leaf tissues. In contrast, leaves exhibited richer and more diverse assemblages than sapwood. As plants experienced diverse environments over time and space, our results may be influenced by changing structural and chemical properties through ontogeny. Given the potential impact of these fungi on agricultural and forest ecosystems, ongoing research is crucial to discern the roles of hosts, endophytes, and other ecological mechanisms in apparent colonization patterns. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-00d8bfa7ad1b4d28b0c484c8a61c1e97 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2804-3871 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Peer Community In |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Peer Community Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-00d8bfa7ad1b4d28b0c484c8a61c1e972025-08-01T07:42:44ZengPeer Community InPeer Community Journal2804-38712025-03-01510.24072/pcjournal.52610.24072/pcjournal.526Exploring Rubiaceae fungal endophytes across contrasting tropical forests, tree tissues, and developmental stages Castillo-González, Humberto0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3460-8404Slot, Jason C.1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6731-3405Yarwood, Stephanie2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4593-7908Chaverri, Priscila3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8486-6033Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA; Current address: Université Marie et Louis Pasteur, CNRS, Chrono-environnement (UMR 6249), F-25200 Montbéliard, FranceDepartment of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USADepartment of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USADepartment of Natural Sciences, Bowie State University, Bowie, Maryland, 20715, USA; Centro de Investigaciones en Productos Naturales (CIPRONA) and Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501-2060, San José, Costa RicaFungal endophytes play a pivotal role in tropical forest dynamics, influencing plant fitness through growth stimulation, disease suppression, stress tolerance, and nutrient mobilization. This study investigates the effects of region, leaf developmental stage, and tissue type on endophyte communities in tropical plants. Young and mature leaves were collected from 47 Rubiaceae species, and sapwood from 23 species, in old-growth forests of Golfito and Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Fungal diversity and composition were assessed through metabarcoding of the ITS2 nrDNA region. Most identified ASVs belonged to the phylum Ascomycota. The orders Botryosphaeriales and Glomerellales significantly contributed to endophytic assemblages, without detection of host-specific communities. We observed significant differences in species richness across regions, confirming distinct compositions through beta diversity. No statistically significant variances were found between mature and juvenile leaf tissues. In contrast, leaves exhibited richer and more diverse assemblages than sapwood. As plants experienced diverse environments over time and space, our results may be influenced by changing structural and chemical properties through ontogeny. Given the potential impact of these fungi on agricultural and forest ecosystems, ongoing research is crucial to discern the roles of hosts, endophytes, and other ecological mechanisms in apparent colonization patterns.https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.526/Costa Rica, ecology, endophytes, fungi, metabarcoding, phytobiome, phyllosphere, RubiaceaeCosta Rica, ecology, endophytes, fungi, metabarcoding, phytobiome, phyllosphere, Rubiaceae |
| spellingShingle | Castillo-González, Humberto Slot, Jason C. Yarwood, Stephanie Chaverri, Priscila Exploring Rubiaceae fungal endophytes across contrasting tropical forests, tree tissues, and developmental stages Peer Community Journal Costa Rica, ecology, endophytes, fungi, metabarcoding, phytobiome, phyllosphere, Rubiaceae Costa Rica, ecology, endophytes, fungi, metabarcoding, phytobiome, phyllosphere, Rubiaceae |
| title | Exploring Rubiaceae fungal endophytes across contrasting tropical forests, tree tissues, and developmental stages
|
| title_full | Exploring Rubiaceae fungal endophytes across contrasting tropical forests, tree tissues, and developmental stages
|
| title_fullStr | Exploring Rubiaceae fungal endophytes across contrasting tropical forests, tree tissues, and developmental stages
|
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Rubiaceae fungal endophytes across contrasting tropical forests, tree tissues, and developmental stages
|
| title_short | Exploring Rubiaceae fungal endophytes across contrasting tropical forests, tree tissues, and developmental stages
|
| title_sort | exploring rubiaceae fungal endophytes across contrasting tropical forests tree tissues and developmental stages |
| topic | Costa Rica, ecology, endophytes, fungi, metabarcoding, phytobiome, phyllosphere, Rubiaceae Costa Rica, ecology, endophytes, fungi, metabarcoding, phytobiome, phyllosphere, Rubiaceae |
| url | https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.526/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT castillogonzalezhumberto exploringrubiaceaefungalendophytesacrosscontrastingtropicalforeststreetissuesanddevelopmentalstages AT slotjasonc exploringrubiaceaefungalendophytesacrosscontrastingtropicalforeststreetissuesanddevelopmentalstages AT yarwoodstephanie exploringrubiaceaefungalendophytesacrosscontrastingtropicalforeststreetissuesanddevelopmentalstages AT chaverripriscila exploringrubiaceaefungalendophytesacrosscontrastingtropicalforeststreetissuesanddevelopmentalstages |