Fungi from two forests of southern India: a comparative study of endophytes, phellophytes, and leaf litter fungi

The species diversity and distribution of 3 ecological groups of fungi (viz., foliar endophytes, phellophytes, and leaf litter fungi of 6 tree hosts of a dry thorn forest and 6 tree hosts of an evergreen forest of southern India) were studied. As the methods of sampling and the isolation procedure were maintained constant, the results could be compared across hosts and fungal assemblages. The diversity of endophytes was less in both forests, owing to host recurrence. The litter fungi showed a higher diversity in both forests when compared with endophytes or phellophytes. There was little overlap between the species assemblages of the 3 ecological groups of fungi. Hence, to be cost effective, diversity estimation exercises for fungi in the tropics should include different fungal substrates rather than one substrate (or ecological group); it appears that even small sample sizes of different substrates would provide an approximation that is the near-real species diversity, rather than using large sample sizes of any one particular indicator group of fungi.