Abstract
Transformed root cultures (TRC) are used to mass produce arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal propagules in vitro. These propagules are then used in research, agriculture, and ecological restoration. There are many examples from other microbial systems that long-term in vitro propagation leads to domesticated strains that differ genetically and functionally. Here, we discuss potential consequences of in TRC propagation on AM fungal traits, and how this may affect their functionality. We examine weather domestication of AM fungi has already happened and finally, we explore whether it is possible to overcome TRC-induced domestication.
Highlights
Domestication of plants and animals has been a hallmark of the Anthropocene (Zeder, 2006), resulting in altered morphology, decreased genetic diversity, altered behavior, and altered function in the domesticant
Anastomosis is recognized primarily as a healing mechanism post disturbance especially for Gigaspora sp., plays an important ecological role, since newly germinating spores can connect to the pre-established network prior interacting with a host, gaining an important survivorship benefit (Sbrana et al, 2011)
While debate about their status as homo- versus heterokaryons has circulated for nearly two decades (Kuhn et al, 2001; Hijri and Sanders, 2004; Pawlowska and Taylor, 2004; Croll et al, 2008; Tisserant et al, 2013; Lin et al, 2014; Boon et al, 2015), recent evidence shows that arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can be haploid and homokaryotic or haploid and dikaryotic (Ropars et al, 2016; Chen et al, 2018a)
Summary
Domestication of plants and animals has been a hallmark of the Anthropocene (Zeder, 2006), resulting in altered morphology, decreased genetic diversity, altered behavior, and altered function in the domesticant. Anastomosis is recognized primarily as a healing mechanism post disturbance (de la Providencia et al, 2005) especially for Gigaspora sp., plays an important ecological role, since newly germinating spores can connect to the pre-established network prior interacting with a host, gaining an important survivorship benefit (Sbrana et al, 2011) While debate about their status as homo- versus heterokaryons has circulated for nearly two decades (Kuhn et al, 2001; Hijri and Sanders, 2004; Pawlowska and Taylor, 2004; Croll et al, 2008; Tisserant et al, 2013; Lin et al, 2014; Boon et al, 2015), recent evidence shows that AM fungi can be haploid and homokaryotic (meaning that they contain thousands of genetically similar nuclei with haploid number of chromosomes) or haploid and dikaryotic (meaning that they contain two genetically distinct type of nuclei with in equal proportions, with a haploid number of chromosomes) (Ropars et al, 2016; Chen et al, 2018a). Passage through real host or even community of hosts could retain the functionality of the domesticated strains
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