Specific questions regarding the community structure of VA-mycorrhizal fungi and the population biology of an ectomycorrhizal Basidiomycete, Suillus granulatus, were addressed. The distributional ecology of VAM fungal communities with grasses was studied across a climatic gradient in the hyper-arid central Namib dune field. VAM fungal communities were primarily structured by substrate stability and moisture availability. Five VAM species were found throughout the study area and were not host specific. Percent mycorrhizal colonization was correlated with moisture availability, whereas spore abundance was correlated with substrate stability. Moisture availability was the key factor influencing VAM fungal phenology: growth, assessed as increased colonization of roots, continued as long as moisture was available, and spore production occurred in response to declining moisture availability. While abiotic factors determine community structure of VAM fungi in the Namib dune field, preliminary studies suggest that the phytobiont mediates fungal response to these abiotic factors. Genetic analyses of S. granulatus single spore isolates using RAPD markers showed that a post-meiotic mitosis in the basidium produces heterokaryotic spores. Secondary homothallism provides an effective means for long distance dispersal, and may account for the broad geographic range of this ectomycorrhizal fungus. Secondary homothallism contributed to the failure of somatic incompatibility tests to delineate the spatial distribution of individuals in a natural population of s. granulatus. Analysis of genetic relatedness using RAPD markers demonstrated conclusively that somatically compatible individuals were not necessarily genetically identical. I concluded that RAPD marker analysis provides a more effective means for determining clonal distribution in ectomycorrhizal populations, than does somatic incompatibility testing. / Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Institute of Paper Chemistry, 1984. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-56).

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are root and soil inhabiting symbionts with higher plants. The fungi are especially nutrient-function efficient in nutrient deficient soils. There have been innumerable studies of AM fungal facilitation of plant nutrient uptake in controlled environments. Comparatively little similar investigation has been undertaken in natural soils, including investigation of taxon specific nutrient-function efficiency in the phylum. Plant diversity and frequency, soil chemistry statuses, and AM spore diversity and abundance were sampled in an interrupted-belt transect in an aggrading dune sytem on west-coast India, followed by foredunes and transect nutrient amendment experiments in selected plant species. The transect extends 175 m inland from mean high-water mark (MH-WM). Examination showed nutrients were consistently deficient. A plant zonation pattern and increasing frequency over the transect were indicated, as well as decreasing pH and increasing organic matter (OM)-amendment AM species diversity gradients. Plant zonation does not correlate with soil chemistry. There was a distinct soil transition at the 175 m point and evidence of further system partition between foredune and behind-foredune regions. Plant and AM demographies bore no resemblance suggesting neither is driven by the other. Four AM genera were recovered, Acaulospora, Gigaspora and Scutellospora in high abundance, Glomus in comparatively low abundance. The two co-dominant species, A. spinosa and Gi. margarita, displayed divergent strategies in OM amendment. Certain AM taxa may be functionally associated with particular soil nutrients. There was no evidence of taxon-specific nutrient-function efficiency.

The broad aim of the work described in this thesis was to use the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) defective rmc tomato to explore the development and function of different types of fungus-plant interfaces (phenotypes) and to characterize the cellular modifications preceding colonization of rmc by a range of different AM fungi. Three main patterns of colonization with rmc have been described: 1) Pen- phenotype in which the AM fungus is restricted to the root surface with several attempts to penetrate the epidermal cells without success; 2) Coiphenotype where AM fungi penetrate the epidermis but cannot develop cortical colonization; and 3) Myc+ phenotype (with G. intraradices WFVAM23), where the AM fungus penetrates the cortex and forms a “normal” colonization after a delayed penetration of the epidermal cells (Review of literature). Little is known about cellular interactions, nutrient transfer or the ability of the fungi to complete their life cycles in the different phenotypes. These aspects were the main foci of this work. In addition further fungal isolates were screened to asses their ability to colonize rmc. The first experiments involved compartmented pots to follow the fungal life cycle, production of external mycelium and spores in the different rmc phenotypes (Chapter 3). The results showed that in the Pen- and Coiphenotypes, AM fungi are unable to form spores to complete the life cycle. However, in the Coi-phenotype, the fungus remained alive up to week 18, suggesting that some C transfer occurred. The fungus forming the Myc+ phenotype, G. intraradices WFVAM23, was able to produce spores, although they were significantly smaller than those produced with the wild-type tomato. The results suggested that arbuscules are essential for completion of the fungal life cycle. Labeled 32P was used to determine whether arbuscules are also essential for P transfer (Chapter 4). A compartmented pot system was used in which only fungal hyphae but not roots could obtain 32P. 32P was found in the shoots of rmc inoculated with S. calospora (Coi- phenotype), indicating that interfaces other than arbuscules can be involved in transfer of P. A nurse pot system was used to obtain synchronized colonization to determine how long AM fungi stay alive during the interactions with rmc and to elucidate the cellular modifications preceding colonization of rmc by a range of different AM fungi (Chapter 5). The results showed that rmc did attract the AM fungi, that the plant nucleus moved to the middle of the plant cell only after fungal penetration of plant roots and that callose deposition in rmc was not involved in blocking the AM fungi. Fourteen AM fungi with different taxonomic affiliations and fourteen different G. intraradices isolates were screened to try to relate phylogeny of AM fungi with phenotypes in rmc (Chapter 6). There were a large number of interactions, depending on the inoculated AM fungi, and although there were some similarities in the rmc phenotypes within phylogenetic groups, there was no clear relationship between phylogeny and development of interactions with rmc. This study showed the following. 1) Arbuscules/arbusculate coils are necessary for the completion of the AM fungal cycle. However, intraradical hyphae also participate in transfer of both P and C as demonstrated with the Coi- phenotype. 2) rmc clearly attracted AM fungi and the fungi stay alive and induce plant cellular responses such as nuclear movement only after penetrating rmc roots. 3) Plant defense responses such as callose deposition are not involved in blocking AM fungi in rmc; and 4) there was no relationship between the phenotypes described in rmc and phylogeny of the Glomeromycota. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1292816 / Thesis(Ph.D.)-- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2007.

Roots of silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.) trees from downtown Montreal and the municipal nursery in Terrebonne were sampled to determine their vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) colonization levels. Soil was analyzed to determine the concentration of various soil nutrients, pH, and bulk density. It was found that trees from downtown Montreal grow in soils with lower phosphorus and magnesium, and higher copper, zinc, sodium, pH and bulk density than nursery trees. Downtown tree health, in terms of % dieback, was positively correlated with soil phosphorus, potassium, calcium, the phosphorus:copper ratio and negatively correlated with soil copper, zinc, bulk density and tree age. It is suggested that tree health and survival are associated with tree location. Older and healthier trees grow on streets that provide larger soil volumes. Downtown trees had significantly higher VAM colonization levels (44.9%) than those from the nursery (36.1%). The colonization level in downtown trees was positively correlated with the phosphorus:copper ratio and tree age, and negatively correlated with soil potassium. It is hypothesized that downtown trees living under the most stress will be those with the highest VAM colonization. Under controlled conditions 81.5% of the variability of % VAM infection of silver maple seedlings could be explained by soil zinc, phosphorus, copper, sodium, and potassium. Zinc, phosphorus and copper negatively affected VAM colonization, while a slight positive effect of sodium and potassium was found. This suggests that VAM colonization in downtown trees may be affected by soil factors, but the effects may be masked by other conditions, such as water stress, light, or size of root systems.

Thesis (MScFor (Forest and Wood Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The study was undertaken to determine the potential physiological benefits to plants provided by the double colonisation of host plant roots by endomycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, when growing under normal and under salt stress conditions. Plants of the Eucalyptus grandis x E. camaldulensis clone were grown in a sterile soil with 0 and 75 mM NaCl and with or without infection with the fungi Glomus etunicatum (an AM fungus) and Pisolithus tinctorius (an ECM fungus). The Eucalyptus clone formed both ECM and AM in single and double inoculation. The mycorrhizal symbiosis did not provide any nutritional benefits to the hosts. The double colonisation had no effect on plant growth under normal growth conditions while single colonisations of AM and ECM reduced growth. Double colonisation reduced host plant specific leaf mass by 12% and increased total leaf area by 43% compared with the control under these growth conditions. This colonisation also reduced photosynthesis per leaf area by 29% compared with the control. The reduced photosynthesis of the double colonisation did not result in reduced plant growth because these plants may have had a high total plant photosynthesis because of their large total leaf area. The double symbiosis however did not reduce salt stress when host plants were exposed to 75 mM NaCl, while the AM fungus increased plant dry weight by 13% compared to the control. AM and ECM colonisation in the double colonised roots under salt stress was decreased by 18 and 43% compared to that in plants under normal growth. The reduced colonisation may have reduced the fungi’s abilities to be beneficial to the host plant. The double symbiosis is recommended based on the documented positive effects of this symbiosis to plant growth and the considered possible long-term benefits to host plants growing in saline soils.

No description available.

Thesis (PhD (Botany and Zology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The well-known, and often phytopathogenic, ophiostomatoid fungi are represented in South Africa by the two phylogenetically distantly related genera Ophiostoma (Ophiostomatales) and Gondwanamyces (Microascales). They are commonly associated with the fruiting structures (infructescences) of serotinous members of the African endemic plant genus Protea. The species O. splendens, O. africanum, O. protearum, G. proteae and G. capensis have been collected from various Protea spp. in South Africa where, like other ophiostomatoid fungi, they are thought to be transported by arthropod vectors. The present study set out to identify the vector organisms of Protea-associated members of mainly Ophiostoma species, using both molecular and direct isolation methods. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and taxon specific primers for the two Protea-associated ophiostomatoid genera were developed. Implementation of these newly developed methods revealed the presence of Ophiostoma and Gondwanamyces DNA on three insect species. They included a beetle (Genuchus hottentottus), a bug (Oxycarenus maculates) and a psocopteran species. It was, however, curious that the frequency of these insects that tested positive for ophiostomatoid DNA was very low, despite the fact that ophiostomatoid fungi are known to colonise more than 50% of Protea infructescences. Subsequent direct isolation methods revealed the presence of reproductive propagules of Ophiostoma spp. on four Protea-associated mite species (Oodinychus sp., two Tarsonemus spp. and Proctolaelaps vandenbergi). These mites are numerous within Protea infructescences and Ophiostoma spp. were isolated from a high frequency of these individuals. The Oodinychus sp. mite was found to vector most of the Protea-associated Ophiostoma species. It was thus postulated that the mites (in particular the Oodinychus sp.) act as primary vectors of the Protea-associated Ophiostoma species. The association between Oodinychus mites collected from P. repens and O. splendens proved to be mutualistic. Mites feeding on this fungus showed significantly higher population growth than mites feeding on any of the other fungal species tested. The short- and long-distance dispersal methods of these mites were also investigated. Firstly the ability of mites to move from drying infructescences to moist and sheltered areas such as provided by intact infructescences on the same plant was investigated experimentally. Significantly more mites were found to actively disperse from drying infructescences to artificially manufactured infructescences containing moistened filter paper shreds than to artificially manufactured infructescences containing dry filter paper shreds. The frequent fires associated with the habitat of these mites would, however, require movement over larger areas than what would be possible through self-dispersal. Dispersal of mites via air currents was thus investigated using sticky traps, but no Ophiostoma-vectoring mites were captured in this way. Self-dispersal aided by air currents could thus be ruled out, and our investigations shifted to vectored dispersal. Numerous insects emerging from Ophiostoma-containing P. repens and P. neriifolia infructescences were collected using specially designed emergence cages. Scanning electron microscopy and stereo-microscopy revealed that all three Ophiostoma-vectoring mite genera were phoretic on the beetle G. hottentottus. Tarsonemus spp. and P. vandenbergi were also phoretic on the beetles Trichostetha fascicularis and T. capensis associated with P. repens and P. neriifolia flowers. Mites collected from the surface of these beetles were found to vector reproductive propagules of various Ophiostoma spp. This thus seems to be the only method of long-distance dispersal of these mites and subsequently also the Protea-associated Ophiostoma species. Molecular phylogenetic reconstruction based on large subunit, ITS and beta-tubulin DNA sequence data suggests a polyphyletic origin for the Protea-associated members of Ophiostoma, which proposes multiple invasions of this unusual niche by these fungi. These studies also revealed the presence of four new species of Ophiostoma associated with Protea spp. The new species O. palmiculminatum, O. phasma, O. gemellus and Sporothrix variecibatus were thus described. Ophiostoma palmiculminatum is associated with P. repens infructescences and the Oodinychus mites collected from them. Ophiostoma phasma was collected from various Protea and mite species. Ophiostoma gemellus and Sporothrix variecibatus were initially only isolated from mites, but have subsequently also been isolated from Protea spp. The present study clarifies many aspects pertaining to the phylogeny and ecology of the interesting members of Ophiostoma associated with Protea hosts. As such this study will form the platform for further studies on the co-evolution of these insect / mite / fungi / plant associations.