Abstract
Mycorrhizae are mutualistic associations between fungi and plant roots. These symbiotic associations are abundant and occur in 75 to 80 % of plants. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are very important in ecosystems, because their mutualistic association with plants of different species helps nutrients and water absorption, as well as protection of the host plant against pathogens and abiotic stresses. Most ectomycorrhizal fungi belong to the Basidiomycota class, such as the following genera: Amanita, Hebeloma, Hysterangium, Laccaria, Lactarius, Rhizopogon, Russula, Scleroderma, Suillus, Tricholoma, among others. Morphological studies on ectomycorrhizae report important results in understanding the species biodiversity. However, the use of molecular biology nowadays is indispensable. Among the various molecular tools available, there is consensus about the use of tools based on sequencing of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) of fungi rDNA, aiding in species characterization and construction of phylogenetic studies. The ITS region is of easy amplification, it has multicopy nature and enables differentiation between species. The objective of this study was to show that the use of molecular biology tools associated with morphotyping to characterize species of ectomycorrhizae is more effective than when they are used on their own.
Highlights
Mycorrhizae are evolved mutualistic associations between soil fungi and plant roots
Ectomycorrhizal fungi are very important in ecosystems, because their mutualistic association with plants of different species helps nutrients and water absorption, as well as protection of the host plant against pathogens and abiotic stresses
Among the various molecular tools available, there is consensus about the use of tools based on sequencing of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) of fungi ribosomal DNA (rDNA), aiding in species characterization and construction of phylogenetic studies
Summary
Mycorrhizae are evolved mutualistic associations between soil fungi and plant roots. Phyla of the kingdom fungi (Basidiomycota, Ascomycota and Zygomycota) and vascularized plants participate in these associations. The adoption of other molecular techniques, such as Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (RISA) and Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA), in studies of fungal communities may minimize some of the associated difficulties, because they are generally faster and allow working with a large number of samples, including root mass and soil samples. Mycorrhizal fungi are important components of soil microbiota in many ecosystems (Wainwright, 1988; Moreira and Siqueira, 2002) and generally have limited saprophytic abilities, but their endophytic properties are well developed These properties help determine the effectiveness of mycorrhizal associations, including the number of hyphae produced in the soil in relation to mycorrhizal colonization, growth rate of hyphae, colony formation in roots and physiological characteristics that regulate the absorption or translocation of nutrients by hyphae, and their exchanges with the host plant (Smith and GianinazziPearson, 1988; Brundrett, 1996; Smith and Read, 1997). The term mycorrhiza (i.e., root fungus) was proposed by Frank in 1885 when the author noted that such associations did not constitute instances of parasitism between fungi and plants, but with benefits for both
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