Endophytic fungi of spurred mangrove, Ceriops tagal and its bioactivity potential: Predominance of Aspergillus species and its ecological significance

Fungal endophytes were isolated from the leaves of spurred mangrove, Ceriops tagal and the isolation frequency was found to be 11.66 %. The endophytes were identified by both morphological and molecular methods. A total of 106 endophytic fungi were isolated with the majority (96 %) belonging to the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota constituted only 4 % of the total isolates. Within Ascomycota, three classes (Sordariomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, and Saccharomycetes) and 4 orders were observed. In Basidiomycota only agaricomycetes was obtained. Aspergillus (58 %) was the dominant genus, followed by Penicillium (20 %), Colletotrichum (9 %), and Schizophyllum (6 %). Notably, Aspergillus sydowii (35 %) was the predominant endophytic fungus in C. tagal. The colonization frequency was highest for Aspergillus sydowii (4.1 %) followed by Penicillium citrinum (3 %) and Aspergillus flavus (2.3 %). In total, 11 endophytic fungal species were identified from C. tagal. The isolates exhibited noteworthy hydrolytic enzyme production and antimicrobial properties, suggesting their suitability for potential applications as bioremediators and antimicrobials in aquaculture and medicine.