Record ID No. |
1912 |
Author(s) |
Shefferson R.P., Kull T., Tali K , 2008 |
Affiliation |
University of Virginia, Department of Biology, Gilmer Hall, Charlottesville,VA 22903 USA |
Title |
Mycorrhizal interactions of orchids colonizing Estonian mine tailings hills |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
American Journal of Botany.95(2):156-164p. |
Categories |
Ectomycorrhiza |
Subjects |
Biochemistry |
Sub-subjects |
Miscellaneous |
Organism |
n.a. |
Country |
United States |
Abstracts |
Northeastern Estonia is home to extensive oil shale mines. Associated with these
are desolate and environmentally damaging hills of ash and semicoke tailings. Interestingly, some
of the first plants to colonize these hills are rare orchids. Here, we assess the identities of
the mycorrhizal fungi associated with these orchids, in particular Epipactis atrorubens, Orchis
militaris, and Dactylorhiza baltica, and compare them with mycorrhizal fungi from orchids from
pristine habitat. Epipactis atrorubens associated with the widest breadth of fungi, including
unnamed members of the basidiomycete family Tulasnellaccae, and the potentially ectomycorrhizal
ascomycetes Trichophaea woolhopeia and Geopora cooperi. Orchis militaris also associated with
unnamed members of the Tulasnellaccae. Dactylorhiza baltica associated with Ceratobasidium
albasitensis. In Epipactis and Orchis, the same fungi associated with plants in the pristine
habitat as with those on ash hills. The tulasnelloid and ceratobasidioid fungi mycorrhizal with
these orchids appear closely related to common orchid mycorrhizal fungi, while one of the
ascomycetes mycorrhizal with E. Atrorubens is closely related to a mycorrhizal fungus with E.
Microphylla. Our results suggest that these orchids and their fungi are not limited to pristine
habitats and that environmentally polluted sites may present novel habitats that may be exploited
for endangered plant conservation. |