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. 2021 May 20;10(5):1026.
doi: 10.3390/plants10051026.

Foliar Endophytic Fungi from the Endangered Eastern Mountain Avens (Geum peckii, Rosaceae) in Canada

Sarah J Adams  1 , Brent M Robicheau  2 , Diane LaRue  3 , Robin D Browne  4 , Allison K Walker  1
Affiliations

Foliar Endophytic Fungi from the Endangered Eastern Mountain Avens (Geum peckii, Rosaceae) in Canada

Sarah J Adams et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Eastern Mountain Avens (Geum peckii Pursh, Rosaceae) is a globally rare and endangered perennial plant found only at two coastal bogs within Digby County (Nova Scotia, Canada) and at several alpine sites in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (USA). In Canada, the G. peckii population has declined over the past forty years due in part to habitat degradation. We investigated the culturable foliar fungi present in G. peckii leaves at five locations with varying degrees of human impact within this plant species' Canadian range. Fungal identifications were made using ITS rDNA barcoding of axenic fungal cultures isolated from leaf tissue. Differences in foliar fungal communities among sites were documented, with a predominance of Gnomoniaceae (Class: Sordariomycetes, Phylum: Ascomycota). Habitats with more human impact showed lower endophytic diversities (10-16 species) compared to the pristine habitat (27 species). Intriguingly, several fungi may represent previously unknown taxa. Our work represents a significant step towards understanding G. peckii's mycobiome and provides relevant data to inform conservation of this rare and endangered plant.

Keywords: Eastern Mountain Avens; Rosaceae; foliar fungal endophytes; mycobiome; plant conservation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study species and study sites. (A) Geum peckii flower (average leaf diameter = 2.5–3.5 cm) and (B) leaves (average width = 5–10 cm). (C) Locations of the global populations of Geum peckii. Locations sampled herein from the Nova Scotian populations are shown in map inset (I–A) (HL = Western Digby Neck, NS) and inset (I–B) All other sites = Brier Island, NS). (D) Examples of foliage at sites with different levels of habitat impact (moderately impact site shown is CRN).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Venn diagram (A) and MCA (B) comparing the fungal communities reported for BM1 (highly impacted), HL (moderately impacted) and GH6 (pristine) and the media type used for fungal isolations. Please note that only data from July sampling were used in Figure 2.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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