Atractiella rhizophila, sp. Nov., an endorrhizal fungus isolated from the populus root microbiome

Among fungi isolated from healthy root mycobiomes of Populus, we discovered a new endorrhizal fungal species belonging to the rust lineage Pucciniomycotina, described here as Atractiella rhizophila. We characterized this species by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), phylogenetic analysis, and plant bioassay experiments. Phylogenetic sequence analysis of isolates and available environmental and reference sequences indicates that this new species, A. rhizophila, has a broad geographic and host range. Atractiella rhizophila appears to be present in North America, Australia, Asia, and Africa and is associated with trees, orchids, and other agriculturally important species, including soybean, corn, and rice. Despite the large geographic and host range of this species sampling, A. rhizophila appears to have exceptionally low sequence variation within nuclear rDNA markers examined. With inoculation studies, we demonstrate that A. rhizophila is nonpathogenic, asymptomatically colonizes plant roots, and appears to foster plant growth and elevated photosynthesis rates.