Occurrence of dark septate endophytes in Phragmites australis in the Baiyang Lake and their resistance to Cd stress

Heavy metal pollution poses a serious hazard to human health, and microbial remediation of heavy metals in soil has been widely studied. A group of ascomycetes classified as dark septate endophytes (DSEs) colonize plant roots and benefit host plants under abiotic stress conditions. In this study, Phragmites australis, a common remediation plant in the Baiyang Lake in North China, was investigated. Soils and roots of P. australis were collected in typical heavy metal-contaminated sites, and the species diversity and community structure of DSEs in P. australis roots were studied. In addition, DSE strains were isolated, cultured, and tested for their tolerance to Cd stress. The results showed that DSEs occurred extensively in P. australis roots, forming typical dark septate hyphae, with a total colonization rate of 19.7%-83.1%. Morphological and internal transcribed spacer sequencing analyses were used to identify 10 species within 9 genera of DSE fungi. Among these fungi, 6 strains with considerable resistance to Cd stress were identified. The biomasses of Poaceascoma helicoides, Alternaria doliconidium, and Acrocalymma vagum strains increased as the Cd levels increased. These results can not only help to understand plant-DSE interactions in wetland environments, but also provide a theoretical basis for making full use of DSE fungi to alleviate heavy metal contamination in soil.