Understanding the Biodiversity and Biological Applications of EndophyticFungi: A Review

Endophytic fungi regarded as fascinating group of organisms colonize the living internal tissues of their host usually higher plants. Endophytes do not cause any symptoms of disease in the host cells and produce natural bioactive compounds considered as an elicitor for plant secondary metabolites production. The present review focused on the biodiversity, surface sterilization, histological localization, isolation methods, colonization frequency, natural products that provide immunity to the victims, biological roles of endophytic fungi. This highly diverse group of fungi can have profound impacts on plant communities through increasing fitness by conferring abiotic and biotic stress tolerance.