Fungal endophytes and their bioactive compounds in tropical forests of Costa Rica

Abstract

We present a glimpse of the diversity of endophytic fungi in the tropical forests of Costa Rica and some examples of bioactive compounds obtained from them. We include the characterization of isolates carried out mainly by the former National Biodiversity Institute as well as data reported in the literature during the last two decades. This work includes the analysis of 427 fungal isolates from 280 plant species (belonging to 107 families). All the isolates were classified as Ascomycota, and within this phylum, they were assigned to four classes, 21 orders, 49 families, and 83 genera. The orders Xylariales, Glomerellales, and Diaporthales were the most abundant while Pleosporales, Xylariales, and Hypocreales the most diverse. The class Leotiomycetes presented the more substantial proportion of bioactive molecules. We showed the positive effect on the addition of unique taxa by increasing the number of sampling sites, seasons, habits of plants, altitudinal range, and plant tissues. Also, we show that endophytes produce compounds chemically and structurally diverse, many of which can be useful for the discovery of new drugs. This work provides valuable insights for bioprospecting of endophytes and also for the understanding of the ecology of these fungi in tropical forests.