Endophytic fungi associated with palms

Endophytic fungi were isolated from three unidentified Licuala sp. palms in Brunei Darussalam and from three L. ramsayi palms in Australia. Endophytes were very common in both species, with overall colonisation rates of 81-89%. Taking into account a lower sampling frequency in Australia, endophyte diversity was similar in the two Licuala species. The endophyte assemblages examined were very diverse, consisting of 75 fertile species and 60 sterile morphospecies. The endophyte communities of both palms were composed of a single, dominant xylariaceous species, approximately ten less common but equally ubiquitous species and a large number of species occurring at very low frequencies. Differences were observed between the endophytic mycotas of different palm tissues and of tissues of different ages. The results presented suggest that most of the endophytes entered the petiole via the leaf and that transmission of palm endophytes is likely to be horizontal (via airborne propagules) rather than vertical (via seed). Seasonal differences were not observed in Brunei. Increased sampling effort could be expected to yield more endophyte taxa in both species investigated.