title: The diversity of endophytic fungi in the above-ground tissue of twoLycopodiumspecies in Poland.
abstract: Endophytes are a large and diverse group of fungi that colonize healthy plant tissues without causing any symptoms. The majority of studies have focused on angiosperm and conifer hosts and few have examined the endophytes of lycophytes. In the present study, we characterized culturable endophytic fungi in two closely relatedLycopodiumspecies (L. annotinumandL. clavatum) from pine, beech, oak and spruce forests across Poland. More than 400 strains were isolated but only 18 Ascomycete species were identified. Members of the Dothideomycetes dominated the fungal endophyte communities inLycopodium. The most abundant taxa cultured werePhoma brasiliensis(fromL. clavatum) andParaconiothyrium lycopodinum(fromL. annotinum). Five taxa were isolated exclusively fromL. annotinum, but only two of them (Paraconiothyrium lycopodinumandMycosphaerellasp.) were relatively abundant. Two taxa were only found inL. clavatum, namely:Stagonospora pseudovitensisand an unidentified Dothideomycete. The taxon assigned as Ascomycota 2 (SH219457.06FU) was isolated only from strobili of both host species. Direct PCR and cloning fromL. annotinumshoots revealed a substantially greater endophyte richness compared with the results from culturing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Systematics and Plant Geography, Faculty of Biology, The University of Warsaw, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pawłowska
authors.affiliation: College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, The University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 93, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Mateusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilk
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany and Plant Ecology, Institute of Chemistry, Environmental Protection and Biotechnology, Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa, Al. Armii Krajowej 13/15, 42-201 Częstochowa, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sliwińska-Wyrzychowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Ecology and Environmental Protection, The University of Warsaw, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mętrak
authors.affiliation: Department of Systematics and Plant Geography, Faculty of Biology, The University of Warsaw, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wrzosek
keywords: Diversity; Endophyte; Fungi; Lycophyte