Mycorrhizal fungi are essential for the survival of orchid seedlings under natural conditions. The distribution of these fungi in soil can constrain the establishment and resulting spatial arrangement of orchids at the local scale, but the actual extent of occurrence and spatial patterns of orchid mycorrhizal (OrM) fungi in soil remain largely unknown. ● We addressed the fine-scale spatial distribution of OrM fungi in two orchid-rich Mediterranean grasslands by means of high-throughput sequencing of fungal ITS2 amplicons, obtained from soil samples collected either directly beneath, or at a distance from, adult Anacamptis morio and Ophrys sphegodes plants. ● Like ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycobionts, OrM fungi (tulasnelloid, ceratobasidioid, sebacinoid and pezizoid fungi) exhibited significant horizontal spatial autocorrelation in soil. However, OrM fungal read numbers did not correlate with distance from adult orchid plants, and several of these fungi were extremely sporadic or undetected even in the soil samples containing the orchid roots. ● Orchid mycorrhizal ‘rhizoctonias’ are commonly regarded as unspecialized saprotrophs. The sporadic occurrence of mycobionts of grassland orchids in host-rich stands questions the view of these mycorrhizal fungi as capable of sustained growth in soil.

Fine-scale spatial distribution of orchid mycorrhizal fungi in the soil of host-rich grasslands

VOYRON, Samuele;ERCOLE, ENRICO;PEROTTO, Silvia;GIRLANDA, Mariangela
Last
2016-01-01

Abstract

Mycorrhizal fungi are essential for the survival of orchid seedlings under natural conditions. The distribution of these fungi in soil can constrain the establishment and resulting spatial arrangement of orchids at the local scale, but the actual extent of occurrence and spatial patterns of orchid mycorrhizal (OrM) fungi in soil remain largely unknown. ● We addressed the fine-scale spatial distribution of OrM fungi in two orchid-rich Mediterranean grasslands by means of high-throughput sequencing of fungal ITS2 amplicons, obtained from soil samples collected either directly beneath, or at a distance from, adult Anacamptis morio and Ophrys sphegodes plants. ● Like ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycobionts, OrM fungi (tulasnelloid, ceratobasidioid, sebacinoid and pezizoid fungi) exhibited significant horizontal spatial autocorrelation in soil. However, OrM fungal read numbers did not correlate with distance from adult orchid plants, and several of these fungi were extremely sporadic or undetected even in the soil samples containing the orchid roots. ● Orchid mycorrhizal ‘rhizoctonias’ are commonly regarded as unspecialized saprotrophs. The sporadic occurrence of mycobionts of grassland orchids in host-rich stands questions the view of these mycorrhizal fungi as capable of sustained growth in soil.
2016
213
3
1428
1439
Fungal communities, Tulasnellaceae, Tulasnella calospora, Ceratobasidiaceae, Serendipitaceae, Sebacinales, Pezizaceae, Orchidaceae
Samuele, Voyron; Enrico, Ercole; Stefano, Ghignone; Silvia, Perotto; Mariangela, Girlanda
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
main text MG_4aperto.pdf

Accesso aperto

Tipo di file: PREPRINT (PRIMA BOZZA)
Dimensione 537.5 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
537.5 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
Voyron et al_New Phytol_2016.pdf

Accesso riservato

Descrizione: Articolo principale
Tipo di file: PDF EDITORIALE
Dimensione 621.54 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
621.54 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia
nph.14286.pdf

Accesso riservato

Tipo di file: PDF EDITORIALE
Dimensione 614.77 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
614.77 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2318/1597350
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 42
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 40
social impact