Mycology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Mycology, including details on fungi, diseases, identification, microscopy.

Potential link between plant and fungal distributions in a dipterocarp rainforest: community and phylogenetic structure of tropical ectomycorrhizal fungi across a plant and soil ecotone.

Peay KG, Kennedy PG, Davies SJ, Tan S, Bruns TD

Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.

Summary *Relatively little is known about diversity or structure of tropical ectomycorrhizal communities or their roles in tropical ecosystem dynamics. In this study, we present one of the largest molecular studies to date of an ectomycorrhizal community in lowland dipterocarp rainforest. *We sampled roots from two 0.4 ha sites located across an ecotone within a 52 ha forest dynamics plot. Our plots contained > 500 tree species and > 40 species of ectomycorrhizal host plants. Fungi were identified by sequencing ribosomal RNA genes. *The community was dominated by the Russulales (30 species), Boletales (17), Agaricales (18), Thelephorales (13) and Cantharellales (12). Total species richness appeared comparable to molecular studies of temperate forests. Community structure changed across the ecotone, although it was not possible to separate the role of environmental factors vs host plant preferences. Phylogenetic analyses were consistent with a model of community assembly where habitat associations are influenced by evolutionary conservatism of functional traits within ectomycorrhizal lineages. *Because changes in the ectomycorrhizal fungal community parallel those of the tree community at this site, this study demonstrates the potential link between the distribution of tropical tree diversity and the distribution of tropical ectomycorrhizal diversity in relation to local-scale edaphic variation.

Published 21 January 2010 in New Phytol, 185(2): 529-42.
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Articles on Mycology published 21 January 2010:

Survival of native Pseudomonas in soil and wheat rhizosphere and antagonist activity against plant pathogenic fungi.   Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek.

Survival of Pseudomonas sp. SF4c and Pseudomonas sp. SF10b (two plant-growth-promoting bacteria isolated from wheat rhizosphere) was investigated in microcosms. Spontaneous rifampicin-resistant mutants derived from these strains (showing both growth rate and viability comparable to the wild-strains) were used to monitor the strains in bulk soil and wheat rhizosphere. Studies were carried out for 60 days in pots containing non-sterile fertilized or non-fertilized soil. The number of viable cells ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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Articles on Mycology published 20 January 2010:

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Articles on Mycology published 19 January 2010:

From extensive clone libraries to comprehensive DNA arrays for the efficient and simultaneous detection and identification of orchid mycorrhizal fungi.   J Microbiol Methods, 80(1): 76-85.

A DNA array was developed from extensive clone library sequence data sets for the assessment of dominant members of mycorrhizal fungi that associate with terrestrial orchid species. As a-proof-of-concept, the array was developed for the basidiomycetous mycorrhizal partners from three closely related perennial Orchis species, including Orchis anthropophora, O. militaris and O. purpurea. Based on internal transcribed spacer regions, oligonucleotides were developed for seven operational taxonomic ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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