A preliminary study of fungal endophyte diversity in a stable and declining bed of Spartina anglica Hubbard

In a preliminary study of stable and declining beds of Spartina anglica five sporulating ascomycetes were identified. A comparison between stable and declining Spartina beds demonstrated that there was no overall difference in the fungal species found, and no significant difference between the numbers of isolates from the different beds except that Lulworthia sp. was more prominent in the stable beds. The vertical distribution of species of ascomycetes within Spartina anglica plants, from root to leaf-tip, is related to the status of the fungus as either an obligate or facultative marine fungus. The significance of these findings is discussed.