Abstract
Plants naturally host a variety of microbial communities, which significantly affect their health and productivity. Cinnamomum migao is a rare and endangered medicinal plant endemic to Southwest China. However, the related research on endophytic fungi of C. migao has been neglected, especially in the fruit, and the interaction between microorganisms in C. migao fruit and its effect on the productivity of C. migao host plants is still unclear. In this study, the endophytic fungi of C. migao fruits in Guizhou, Yunnan, and Guangxi of Southwest China were isolated, purified and cultured, sequenced, and the metabolites of endophytic fungi and the contents of volatile oil components in C. migao fruits were determined and analyzed. The results showed that 476 strains of endophytic fungi (3 class, 6 order, 13 families, 20 genera) were isolated and identified from C. migao fruits, which showed that there were some differences in the composition of endophytic fungi in C. migao fruits from different producing areas. Five differential components-γ-eucalyptol, bulnesol, bornyl acetate, spathulenol, and linalool were-selected from the essential oils of C. migao fruits, showing both positive and negative correlations with the different locations; these metabolites both promoted and inhibited each other. Additionally, eight cultivable endophytic fungal strains from C. migao fruits were found to share the same chemical composition in their metabolites as the essential oils, and there were also different positive and negative correlations with the origins.