Low microbial diversity, yeast prevalence, and nematode-trapping fungal presence in fungal colonization and leaf microbiome of Serjania erecta.

ABSTRACT: Medicinal plant microbiomes undergo selection due to secondary metabolite presence. Resident endophytic/epiphytic microorganisms directly influence plant's bioactive compound synthesis. Hypothesizing low microbial diversity in Serjania erecta leaves, we assessed leaf colonization by epiphytic and endophytic fungi. Given its traditional medicinal importance, we estimated diversity in the endophytic fungal microbiome. Analyses included scanning electron microscopy (SEM), isolation of cultivable species, and metagenomics. Epiphytic fungi interacted with S. erecta leaf tissues, horizontally transmitted via stomata/trichome bases, expressing traits for nematode trapping. Cultivable endophytic fungi, known for phytopathogenic habits, didn't induce dysbiosis symptoms. This study confirms low leaf

SUBMITTER: de Freitas STF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11224404 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature