Diversity and Ecology of Fungal Endophytes in Tropical Forests
نویسنده
چکیده
Fungal endophytes, ubiquitous among terrestrial plants, are especially abundant and diverse in asymptomatic foliage of tropical trees and shrubs_ As such, tropical endophytes are wjdely thought to comprise an important component of fl.!ngalbiodiversity at a global scale. Yet, neither the diversity of endophytes associated with even a single individual plant, nor the potential importance of host preference and spatial heterogeneity to estimates of endophyte diversity has been addressed in full. Here, several salient questions regarding both endophyte diversity itseif, along with the Implications of Ejndophyterichness for plant ecology and evolution have been explored in the.context of tropical forests. Contributions of recent studies in diverse tropical sites have been highlighted in conjunction wjth an overview of future directions in endophyte research. <.< .
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