Diversity and Community Composition of Endophytic Fungi of Sinopodophyllum hexandrum (Royle) Ying on the Tibetan Plateau

Objectives: To investigate the diversity and community composition of endophytes in Sinopodophyllum hexandrum (Royle) Ying. Methods: S. hexandrum samples (n=15) were collected at five sites on the Tibetan Plateau. High quality sequences from high-throughput sequencing were clustered into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) by Clustering and Classification Inference with U-Statistics, and the OTUs were further divided into different genera according to Ribosomal Database Project classification. Alpha and beta diversity analyses were conducted to explore community diversity and composition. Results: A total of 1221 OTUs were obtained, representing 133 genera (with 98 specific to genus). The QJ and XH sampling sites had the most (n=67) and fewest (n=36) genera, respectively. The dominant fungi at the DT, LD, QJ and XH sites were Ascomycota, while the dominant fungi at the BX site were Basidiomycota. Tetracladium, Exophiala and Pseudogymnoascus showed obvious host preference in all samples. The dominant fungi in the three provinces were Tetracladium, Penicillium, and Cantharellales, respectively. The Shannon-Weiner diversity indices of the 15 samples ranged from 0.48 to 3.10. Endophytic fungi were clustered into three branches based on geographical location. Conclusion: Our findings provide a research basis for the exploitation and utilization of national medicinal plants with abundant microbial resources.