Endophytic fungi community associated with the dicotyledonous plant Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth) Bartl. (Caryophyllaceae) in Antarctica

This work describes the distribution and diversity of fungal endophytes associated with leaves of Colobanthus quitensis, a dicotyledonous plant that lives in Antarctica. A total of 188 fungal isolates were obtained from six different sites located across a 25.5-km transect through Admiralty Bay, at King George Island. The ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 nuclear ribosomal gene was sequenced and the endophytic fungi were identified as species belonging to the genera Aspergillus, Cadophora, Davidiella, Entrophospora, Fusarium, Geomyces, Gyoerffyella, Microdochium, Mycocentrospora, and Phaeosphaeria. Davidiella tassiana was the prevalent species with 20.2% abundance. The endophytic fungal community showed low richness and high dominance indexes. Eleven endophytic taxa (58%) were fungi able to produce melanin in their hyphae, which may confer resistance against freezing temperatures and high rates of UV radiation and may increase their fitness in the extreme conditions of the Antarctic environment. In addition, phytopathogenic and decomposer species associated with healthy leaves of C. quitensis were found. The results obtained in this work show that C. quitensis is an interesting reservoir of saprobic and pathogenic fungal species, and could be a community model for further ecological and evolutionary studies, as well as studies of the adaptation mechanisms these microorganisms have to the extreme conditions in Antarctica.