Occurrence and distribution of fungal endophytes in tropical forests across a rainfall gradient

Fungal endophytes occur in leaves of angiosperm and gymnosperm trees. The occurrence and distribution of fungal endophytes in the leaves of trees growing in four different types of tropical forests in the Western Ghats were studied. One thousand five hundred leaf segments from five different hosts were screened for each forest type. Endophyte communities of trees of the semi-evergreen forest showed the highest species diversity. More endophyte isolates were recovered during the wet season. Although several genera of endophytes were common for different hosts growing in different forests, the dominant endophyte was different for different forest types. Our results suggest that although tropical trees individually may be endophyte rich, the overall endophyte diversity of the entire plant community is not exceptional.