LAUSR

Purpose The composition of endophytic communities has been shown to depend on grape genotypes and viticultural managements in leaves, stems, and berries of grape, but there have been relatively few reports exploring fungal endophytes associated with wild grape and foliar age. Methods The regions of internally transcribed spacer (ITS) were sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq to determine the diversity of fungal endophytes associated with European grape ( Vitis vinifera cv. Red Globe) and Chinese wild grape ( Vitis amurensis cv. Shuangyou) in young and mature leaves. Results A total of 3 phyla, 23 classes, 51 orders, 97 families, and 150 fungal genera were identified. Young leaves have significantly higher diversity and richness than that in mature leaves in both cultivars. Endophytic fungal diversity was greater in wild grapevines (119 genera) than in cultivated grapevines (81 genera) in both young and mature leaves. Endophytic fungal community structure was also significantly different between young leaves and mature leaves as well as in both cultivars based on statistical tests of ANOSIM and MRPP. Conclusions Our results suggest that endophytic fungal communities were strongly affected by foliar age and domestication, which are crucial factors in establishing symbiotic associations with a selective enrichment for specific endophytes.