It takes a village: New insights on the fungi that raise mycoheterotrophic plants from seedlings to adults
N. HYNSON (1), M. Weiß (2), K. Preiss (3), G. Gebauer (3), K. Treseder (4). (1) University of Hawaii-Manoa, Honolulu, HI, U.S.A.; (2) Department of Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; (3) BayCEER University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany; (4) Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California
Mycoheterotrophy entails plants meeting all, or a portion of their carbon and other nutrient demands via fungi. Some plants have adopted a mycoheterotrophic strategy at only the very earliest stages of their development, while others remain partially or fully dependent on fungi throughout their life cycles. While a fair number of studies have illuminated the fungi associated with adult mycoheterotrophs, the identities of seedlings’ mycobionts have remained a mystery. Here we present new data on the fungal hosts for initially mycoheterotrophic plants in the tribe Pyroleae (Ericaceae). Using a molecular and phylogenetic approach, we found that unlike many mature and fully mycoheterotrophic plants, seedlings associated with a suite of fungi. These included ectomycorrhizal Basidiomycetes and taxa with a diversity of trophic functions in the order Sebacinales. We juxtapose our results with prior findings on the fungi associated with adult ericaceous and orchidaceous fully and partially mycoheterotrophic species. For the first time, we now have a more complete picture of the fungal communities that nurture these intriguing plants through all stages of their development.
View Presentation |
