Abstract
Like many other species of trees native to the Brazilian Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest), the Myrtaceae, such as the Red Araza (Psidium cattleianum Sabine), are widely cited as arbuscular mycorrhizal formers. Nevertheless, recent studies show evidence that Myrtaceae from different tropical, subtropical and neotropical ecosystems can also prompt the formation of ectomycorrhizae, indicating that this species' ectomycorrhizal status should be further explored. Because of this, this research effort studied the in vitro interaction between the Red Araza and two ectomycorrhizal fungi isolates, belonging to the Pisolithus microcarpus (D17) and Scleroderma citrinum (UFSC-Sc133) species. An analysis was performed to determine the formation of ectomycorrhizal structures, or lack thereof, and the developmental differences between the in vitro mycorrhized and non-mycorrhized plants. The analysis proved that indeed an ectomycorrhizal association was developed between the Red Araza, and the D17 and UFSC-Sc133 isolates, a fact never before registered in the existing literature. After an in vitro period of 110 days, it was confirmed that the D17 and UFSC-Sc133 isolates formed mycorrhizal colonization of 91.6% and 15.7%, respectively. Furthermore, both isolates also promoted root thickening, and the formation of a fungal mantle and a Hartig net. However, when compared to the Control plants, the fungal isolates did not contribute to an increase in the development of the subject plants, possibly due to the specific experimental conditions used, such as a high humidity environment and high availability of nutrients in the symbiotic substrate.
Highlights
Ectomycorrhizal fungi are symbiont organisms that dwell in the root systems of plants, forming one of the most important and diversified mutualistic relationships in the planet [1]
It is estimated that approximately 10% of all tracheophyte plant species exhibit this type of symbiosis, a percentage that can reach up to 90% of all tree species in temperate regions, especially the ones belonging to the Pinaceae, Betulaceae, Fagaceae, Salicaceae, Dipterocarpaceae and Myrtaceae families [2]
Mycorrhizal colonization was detected on the Red Araza plants that were inoculated with both tested fungi, D17 and UFSC-Sc133, as can be verified in Table 1 and Fig 2
Summary
Ectomycorrhizal fungi (fEcM) are symbiont organisms that dwell in the root systems of plants, forming one of the most important and diversified mutualistic relationships in the planet [1]. Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis was considered to be restricted to the world’s temperate regions, such as the coniferous forests of the Northern Hemisphere, where many of the plants form ectomycorrhizae and depend strictly on this association [3]. Many recent research efforts [4,5,6,7,8] and evidence accumulated through the years [9] indicate that the ectomycorrhizal plants and fungi are present in different tropical, subtropical [10], and neotropical [11] ecosystems. In the last 50 years, Latin America has been the site of many different research efforts involving ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical forests. A few plant species found in the Guyanas were confirmed to be independent of ectomycorrhizal fungi, and are believed to be endemic to that neotropical region [5]
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