Taxonomy, diversity and origins of symbiotic endophytes of Achnatherum sibiricum in the Inner Mongolia Steppe of China

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 301; no. 1; pp. 12 - 20
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xin, Ren, An-Zhi, Wei, Yu-Kun, Lin, Feng, Li, Chuan, Liu, Zhi-Jian, Gao, Yu-Bao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2009; Wiley-Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Achnatherum; Achnatherum sibiricum; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; Cell size; China; Culture media; Cytology; Dextrose; DNA, Fungal - analysis; DNA, Fungal - genetics; Economic plant physiology; endophyte; Endophytes; Evolution, Molecular; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, Fungal; Genetic Speciation; Genetic Variation; Growth rate; Microbial ecology; Microbiology; morphological diversity; Morphology; Neotyphodium - classification; Neotyphodium - isolation & purification; Neotyphodium - physiology; New species; phylogenetic relationship; Phylogeny; Poaceae - microbiology; Potatoes; relative abundance; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Soil; Species Specificity; Steppes; Symbiosis; Symbiosis (nodules, symbiotic nitrogen fixation, mycorrhiza...); Taxonomy; Nei Monggol; Asia; China; endophyte; relative abundance; morphological diversity; phylogenetic relationship; Fungi; Origin; Steppe; Taxonomy; Endophyte; Phylogeny; Symbiont; Achnatherum sibiricum
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2009.01789.x

Abstract We sampled five Achnatherum sibiricum populations and documented the distribution and abundance of endophytes. In total, 438 fungal isolates were obtained. They were classified into 11 morphotypes based on growth rate and morphological characters including colonial morphology, the production of conidiogenous cells, conidial size and dimension on potato dextrose agar medium. Both tub2 and actG sequences identified only a single product in all representative isolates from three dominant morphotypes. All sequences fell in the same main clade, including Neotyphodium gansuense and Neotyphodium gansuense var. inebrians from another Achnatherum species in North China, Achnatherum inebrians, and Neotyphodium guerinii from European grasses Melica ciliate and Melica transsilvanica. Based on both morphological and phylogenetic analyses, isolates in morphotype I were described as representing a novel Neotyphodium species, Neotyphodium sibiricum sp. nov. Isolates in both morphotype II and III were identified as representing N. gansuense. Both tub2 and actG sequences suggested that N. sibiricum and N. guerinii were probably derived from a common Epichloë ancestor.