Endophytic Fungal Diversity in Carpesium lipskyi from the Gaoligong Mountains, Yunnan, China

Endophytic fungi represent key microbial symbionts that colonize internal plant tissues without causing apparent disease, playing vital roles in host growth, stress resistance, and biosynthesis of bioactive compounds. <i>Carpesium lipskyi</i> C. Winkl., a medicinal plant endemic to the Gaoligong Mountains in Yunnan, remains largely unexplored regarding its endophytic fungal composition. In this study, a total of 737 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were identified through high-throughput sequencing, spanning 9 phyla, 36 classes, 67 orders, 137 families, 206 genera, and 277 species. The dominant phyla were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Glomeromycota. Alpha diversity in stems and leaves followed a unimodal distribution along the elevational gradient, in contrast to root endophytic communities, which showed no significant correlation with altitude. Peak diversity occurred at 2734 m, indicating a non-linear altitude-diversity relationship. Altitude, along with stable precipitation and temperature (2600-3210 m), significantly influenced fungal diversity. Medicinal fungi such as <i>Cladosporium sp.</i>, <i>Meyerozyma guilliermondii</i>, <i>Phialocephala fortinii</i>, and <i>Rhodotorula mucilaginosa</i> were found in either roots or stems. This is the first comprehensive assessment of endophytic fungi in <i>C. lipskyi</i> from this region, providing a foundation for future ecological and pharmacological studies.