Root Endophytic Fungal Community and Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Patterns Differ among Bletilla Species (Orchidaceae).

ABSTRACT: Orchids of the genus Bletilla are well-known ornamental plants and sources of traditional medicine in Asia that rely on the symbiotic relationship with root endophytic fungi throughout their whole life cycle. However, little is known about their fungal partners, infection pattern, and pathways of carbon gain. We investigated carbon and nitrogen stable isotope patterns in different organs of three Bletilla species, identified the root endophytic fungal community composition, and determined mycorrhizal colonization rates. The three Bletilla species were comprised by a polyphyletic group which belongs to different trophic modes, such as saprotroph, pathotroph, and symbiotroph; however, the dominant species and their abundances varied among Bletilla spp. Mycorrhizal infection rates also varied

SUBMITTER: Zeng X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7909265 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature