ABSTRACT
Endophytic communities are ubiquitous and colonize the internal tissues of host plants without causing any evident negative effects. The diversity studies the endophytic fungal community helps in discovering new species producing new bioactive compounds with industrial and therapeutic potential and also helps to understand of the role of endophytic fungal communities in the forest ecosystems. In the present study, 131 endophytic fungal isolates were isolated from different plant parts such as leaf, petiole, stem, and root from six medicinal plants used in traditional folklore medicine and procured from the Bisle region in the Hassan District, Western Ghats of Karnataka during the monsoon season of 2013–2014. Among all the endophytes, species of Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Alternaria, and Colletotrichum were the most frequently isolated. Diversity analysis of the fungal isolates was studied using Simpson’s dominance index, Simpson’s diversity index, Shannon–Weiner index, species richness, and evenness.
