Taxonomy, life cycle and endophytism of coprophilous fungi from an underground desert rodent

MIRANDA, VICTORIA; SILVANA, SEDE; ARANDA-RICKERT, ADRIANA; ROTHEN, CAROLINA; JOSE MARTIN CSERVINO ; BARROS, JOHANA; FRACCHIA, SEBASTIÁN

FUNGAL ECOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019

1754-5048

Coprophilous fungal taxa have been detected in several genomic surveys of root samples collected from naturalhabitats. However, no research to date has characterized the colonization patterns or the nature of theinteraction between host plants and coprophilous fungi associated with the roots. In our study, strains of coprophilousfungi isolated from the scats of a subterranean desert rodent were described with respect to theirtaxonomy and life cycle, both within the scat material and when associated with the roots of a host plant. Wetested the hypothesis that coprophilous fungi have the capacity to complete their life cycle in two contrastingniches, behaving as radical fungal endophytes when associated with the roots. Twenty-three strains wereisolated and identified by molecular and morphological traits, all belonging to the same clade within the Lasiosphariaceaefamily, order Sordariales. Seven different selected morphotypes were inoculated in the rhizosphereof a grass species and in sterile soil-scat substrates. Five of the seven morphotypes completed their lifecycle, producing ascomata with fertile ascospores in both environments. All strains developed a conspicuousmelanized mycelium around the roots. Using two different approaches, root dying and a regrowth assay fromroot segments, we detected the inoculated strains inside the roots, which colonized the parenchymal tissueasymptomatically. We discuss our results in the context of the occupation of the double niche and the endophyticnature of the isolated fungi