Preliminary insights into the evolutionary relationships of aquatic hyphomycetes and endophytic fungi

• Published in: Fungal ecology Vol. 19; pp. 128 - 134
• Main Authors: Seena, Sahadevan, Monroy, Silvia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2016
• Subjects: aquatic fungi; Aquatic hyphomycetes; convergent evolution; Endophytes; Endophytic aquatic hyphomycetes; environmental impact; Evolutionary divergence; Fungal ecology; Hyphomycetes; internal transcribed spacers; ITS; National Center for Biotechnology Information; niches; organic matter; phylogeny; plant litter; plants (botany); streams; Aquatic hyphomycetes; Endophytes; ITS; Evolutionary divergence; Fungal ecology; Endophytic aquatic hyphomycetes
• ISSN: 1754-5048
• DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2015.07.007

Aquatic hyphomycetes play a key role in leaf litter decomposition and are mediators of organic matter turnover in streams. Molecular studies have shown that some aquatic fungi are also plant endophytes, however, more evidence is needed to evaluate their multiple ecological abilities. To date, little information is available on fungal lineages that might have undergone convergent evolution to adapt to multiple ecological modes. We examined the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary divergences of aquatic hyphomycetes, endophytic aquatic hyphomycetes and other fungal endophytes of riparian/terrestrial plants by analyzing ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Sequences with close phylogenetic affinity to aquatic fungi can occur as endophytes of terrestrial plants or in soil far from streams. To fully understand the ecological impact of aquatic hyphomycetes, we need to document and interpret their niches more broadly.