BIODIVERSITY OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGUS FROM TECTONA GRANDIS - LITTER LEAVES AND SOIL IN COMPARISON

Vidhya Doss*, Kathiravan Govindarajan*, Dhivya Ravichandran, Vardhana Janakiraman

Study revels to characterize the endophytic fungus isolated from litter leaves and soil from Perungalathur hill for their diversity and ecosystem function. Totally 45 species were isolated for two years. They comprised of Zygomycotina (6), Ascomycota (4), Hypomycetes (28) and Coelomycetes (7).The litter samples was divided into 2 active decompositions (sample 1) Leaves and (sample 2) Soil. Litter leaves are advanced stage of decomposition, usually fragmentary, very thin and tightly compressed, were the funguses are abundant during the South West Monsoon (Jan to Aug). The fungal community is a heterogeneous assembly of species derived a homogenous habitat with a long normal pattern of distribution formed due to the interplay of many independent factors governing the relative abundance of the species. The greater variation in the species composition was due to the North West Monsoon. Taking the average percentage occurrence as colonization efficiency of a taxon it was found that Deuteromycetes were active in that order.