Brassicaceous roots as an unexpected diversity hot-spot of helotialean endophytes

• DOI: 10.1186/s43008-020-00036-w
• Publication Date: 2020-08-10T23:08:36Z
• Authors: Jose G. Maciá-Vic...; Meike Piepenbring; Ondřej Koukol
• Keywords: Paraphyly; Dothideomycetes; Brassicaceae; Phylogenetic diversity

A high number of fungal strains were isolated from roots Brassicaceae species collected across western and southern Europe, resulting in an unexpectedly rich collection Cadophora species. These isolates enable us to present a new comprehensive view the ecological, morphological, phylogenetic traits root-inhabiting members this helotialean genus. We provide placement all our based on four-gene dataset, analyze their phenotypic relation relationships, infer potential distribution ranges by sequence comparisons with available databases. consider seven well supported lineages as science. Six further probably also represent but remain undescribed due lack diagnostic morphological characters. Our results show that Cadophora, currently circumscribed, is paraphyletic encompasses broad spectrum morphologies lifestyles. Among species, only two (C. ferruginea C. constrictospora) form phialides conidia typical three echinata, gamsii variabilis) produce chains swollen hyphal segments may function holoblastic conidia, one fascicularis) produces ramoconidia conidia. Ancestral state reconstruction analysis suggests phialidic conidiogenesis evolved several times s. lat. putatively common ancestor. Most are rare estimated availability data, spite having relatively wide ranges, whereas five endemic relationships given restricted distributions. most for nevertheless shows knowledge gaps concerning within genus highlights need investigation.