The endophytic fungal communities associated with the leaves and roots of the common reed (Phragmites australis) in Lake Trasimeno (Perugia, Italy) in declining and healthy stands Paola ANGELINI a, *, Andrea RUBINI b , Daniela GIGANTE a , Lara REALE a , Rita PAGIOTTI a , Roberto VENANZONI a a Department of Applied Biology, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy b CNR - Institute of Plant Genetics, Perugia Division, Via Madonna Alta 130, 06128 Perugia, Italy article info Article history: Received 17 November 2011 Revision received 1 February 2012 Accepted 10 February 2012 Available online - Corresponding editor: James White Jr Keywords: Biodiversity Die-back ITS rDNA Species richness abstract We surveyed the fungal endophytes in the leaves and roots of Phragmites australis plants along a gradient of reed decline at Lake Trasimeno (central Italy) in Oct. 2010. An integrated approach consisting of cultivation and molecular identification was used. Endophytes were recovered from 61.59 % of the samples, with a total of 1 541 isolates. On the basis of a molecular analysis of the rDNA Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region, 25 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified. Fusarium sp. (OTU 21) and Gibberella moniliformis (OTU 1) were the most frequently isolated fungi. Comparisons of the leaf and root samples demonstrated spatial heterogeneity in the endophyte assemblages among the plant parts and sites. In this study, we have shown that reed plants in different states of decline harbour different endophytic communities. This finding may help to understand the very complex scenario of reed die-back. ª 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The British Mycological Society. All rights reserved. Introduction The common reed, Phragmites australis (Poaceae), is a cosmopolitan angiosperm found throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Australia (Holm et al. 1977). Large declines in reed populations have been observed in many European countries. This decline is primarily the result of the die-back syndrome described by Van der Putten (1997). Few investigations of reed die-back in Italian ecosystems have previously been conducted. Only two case studies have appeared to date. One of these studies involved the brackish waters of Sacca di Goro in the Po delta of northern Italy (Fogli et al. 2002) and the other involved the large freshwater ecosystem of Lake Trasimeno in central Italy (Gigante et al. 2011). Lake Trasimeno is a shallow lake and the widest freshwater basin in central Italy, with an average surface area of 124 km 2 and an average depth of 4.5 m (Giardino et al. 2010). There are no major tributaries, and inputs to the water table result almost entirely from rain. The anthropic impact on the lake is heavy, primarily due to intensive agriculture and pig farms (Gigante et al. 2011). * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ39 075 5856423; fax: þ39 075 5856404. E-mail address: paola.angelini@unipg.it (P. Angelini). available at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/funeco 1754-5048/$ e see front matter ª 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The British Mycological Society. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.funeco.2012.03.001 fungal ecology xxx (2012) 1 e11 Please cite this article in press as: Angelini P, et al., The endophytic fungal communities associated with the leaves and roots of the common reed (Phragmites australis) in Lake Trasimeno (Perugia, Italy) in declining and healthy stands, Fungal Ecology (2012), doi:10.1016/j.funeco.2012.03.001