Using collections data to infer biogeographic, environmental, and host structure in communities of endophytic fungi.

Biodiversity collections contain a wealth of information encapsulated both in specimens and in their metadata, providing the foundation for diverse studies in fields such as ecology. Yet biodiversity repositories can present a challenge for ecological inferences because collections rarely are structured with ecological questions in mind: collections may be opportunistic in space or time, may focus on particular taxonomic groups, may reflect different collection strategies in different places or times, or may not be exhaustive in terms of retaining every specimen or having similar metadata for each record. In addition to its primary holdings, the Robert L.

Montagnuphilones A-G, Azaphilones from Montagnulaceae sp. DM0194, a Fungal Endophyte of Submerged Roots of Persicaria amphibia.

Seven azaphilones, montagnuphilones A-G (1-7), together with previously known azaphilones 8-11, were encountered in Montagnulaceae sp. DM0194, an endophytic fungus isolated from submerged roots of Persicaria amphibia. The structures of 1-7 were elucidated on the basis of their MS and NMR spectroscopic analysis.

Fungal endophytes in aboveground tissues of desert plants: infrequent in culture, but highly diverse and distinctive symbionts.

In hot deserts, plants cope with aridity, high temperatures, and nutrient-poor soils with morphological and biochemical adaptations that encompass intimate microbial symbioses. Whereas the root microbiomes of arid-land plants have received increasing attention, factors influencing assemblages of symbionts in aboveground tissues have not been evaluated for many woody plants that flourish in desert environments. We evaluated the diversity, host affiliations, and distributions of endophytic fungi associated with photosynthetic tissues of desert trees and shrubs, focusing on nonsucculent woody plants in the species-rich Sonoran Desert.

Fungal endophytes of aquatic macrophytes: diverse host-generalists characterized by tissue preferences and geographic structure.

Most studies of endophytic symbionts have focused on terrestrial plants, neglecting the ecologically and economically important plants present in aquatic ecosystems. We evaluated the diversity, composition, host and tissue affiliations, and geographic structure of fungal endophytes associated with common aquatic plants in lentic waters in northern Arizona, USA. Endophytes were isolated in culture from roots and photosynthetic tissues during two growing seasons.