of natural bioactive compounds. This is due, in part, to the fact
that they are capable of producing phytochemical compounds,
which are known to be natural products produced by their host
plants (45). During the coevolution period, endophytic microor-
ganisms have adapted to host plant microenvironments through
gradual changes in their genes, probably by inserting part of the
plant DNA segments into their own genomes, or vice versa. This
may have contributed to the ability of the endophytes to promote
the biosynthesis of some phytochemicals originating from their
host plants (46; 47). From a co-evolutionary point of view, these mi-
croorganisms use secretion of secondary metabolites to increase
plant resistance to environmental adversities (46; 48; 49). There is a
theory that endophytes may cause a mosaic effect, i.e., create a
chemically heterogeneous medium within the plant organs, re-
ducing the palatability of the host plant to herbivores or reducing
favourable conditions for the development of a pathogen (50).
Although the research on endophytic microorganisms is
insufficient to comprehend the biochemical, molecular and evo-
lutionary principles, a recently created hypothesis is based on
the ability of endophytes to produce specific metabolites based
on three principles: (1) the evolution of an endophytic fungus to
accumulate metabolites produced by the host plant is subject
to an identical selection pressure, being specific to an organ of
the plant; (2) this potential may not arise at random, but rather
depend on plant and endophytic genotypes; (3) environmental
factors may favor the increase of the endophytic population and
biodiversity, exposing more number of endophytic characteris-
tics to a certain selection pressure in the plant(50).
Endophytes bioprospecting offers the promise of discov-
ering secondary metabolites of plants and their analogues and
also of new compounds of therapeutic value(45). The metabo-
lites produced by endophytes are an expressive and unexplored
source of unique chemical structures, such as alkaloids, ste-
roids, terpenoids, isocoumarines, quinones, phenylpropanoids,
lignins, phenolics and phenolic acids, aliphatic metabolites,
lactones, cytochallasins, flavonoids, peptides and xanthones^
(51,52), These structures were modified during the species evolu-
tion and in response to changes in their habitats produced for
plant-endophyte communication (53), generating several valu-
able compounds with antimicrobial, insecticidal, cytotoxic, an-
ticancer(47; 54) immunosuppressive, antiparasitic, anti-oxidant (55)
hormonal, antitumoral and antiviral activities, among others(56).
Since the number of plant species is large, the research
on endophytes that produce bioactive compounds requires
strategies to improve their searching and more successful-
ly indicate the promising microorganisms. The production of
metabolites of biotechnological interest by the plant may be
a relevant factor for choosing a host as a research target, due
to the possibility of the endophytic having genetically acquired
the capacity to produce them during their co-evolution with the
host or vice versa. Another hypothesis is the selection pressure
exerted by environmental factors specific to each biome(47, 50),
even more those not explored for this purpose, such as man-
groves and restingas.The identification of the chemical structures of bioactive
compounds, allows the possibility of producing the substance
of interest in industrial scale. This would provide, among other
things, protection for slow-growing or endangered plant spe-
cies that are a potential source of bioprospecting for industry
(57). The search for metabolites produced by endophytic fungi
with phytosanitary purposes can be a safe alternative to the en-
vironment when compared to synthetic insecticides (58). Numer-
ous studies have shown satisfactory results using these com-
pounds in human pathogens control (49, 59), soil phytopathogens^
(60, 61) and pests (48). As a result of being potential substitutes for
chemicals, and exercising biocontrol actions and/or promoting
plant growth favouring the preservation of the environment, en-
dophytes have been identified as viable alternatives for ecolog-
ical agricultural production systems constituting an economi-
cally sustainable source (62).Although the questions formulated at the beginning of
our research have not been answered untill this moment, we are
sure that an extremely important step towards the preservation
of these fungi from restinga was taken. In these sites,biodiver-
sity emerges spontaneously, especially under adaptive climatic
conditions that select an unique diversity of endophytic fungi
now preserved(63).The degradation or elimination of environmental wastes,
also known as bioremediation, is one of the main focuses of the
biotechnology era and it has been assisting in projects for treat-
ing contaminated areas (64).The industrialization and economic development in Bra-
zil have increased the demand for resources, production and
technology, making the environment highly impacted. On the
other hand, the concern with nature conservation has grown
significantly, which generates several studies to control envi-
ronmental impacts, recovery of degraded and contaminated ar-
eas (65).Situated in the restinga of São João da Barra, the Açu
Port was strategically located in the north of the state of Rio
de Janeiro, approximately 150 km from Campos Basin, where
85% of Brazilian oil is produced using the Chinese concept of
integration, to increase productivity, providing 90 km² of rear
open space. It is the largest offshore support base in the world
with six cradles contracted by Petrobras, one by Chevron and