English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Seeds of many orchids rely on the presence of fungi to trigger the germination process and even to initiate the full development of protocorms. While attention has been directed towards the study of mycorrhizal fungi, the diversity and functions of endophytic fungi from orchid roots remain underexplored, and few studies have verified their ecological role. This is the case of Pleurothallis coriacardia, an endemic green Neotropical orchid with both epiphytic and lithophytic habits growing in High-Andean montane forests. In the present study, we screened the cultivable fraction of the endophytic fungi colonizing the roots of mature plants of P. coriacardia using ITS rDNA markers. We also tested the potential of these endophytic fungi to improve embryo development and seed germination. Most of the isolated endophytes were classified within Psathyrellaceae. Some isolates, identified as members of the Ilyonectria and Coprinellus genera, significantly promoted embryo development in vitro in P. coriacardia seeds, a result that highlights the ecological roles these endophytic fungi may play in nature. resuMen. Las semillas de la mayor parte de orquídeas dependen de la presencia de hongos para desencadenar el proceso de germinación e incluso el desarrollo de protocormos. Mientras la atención se ha dirigido hacia el estudio de los hongos micorrícicos con este fin, la diversidad y las funciones de otros hongos endófitos que habitan las raíces de orquídeas siguen siendo poco conocidas, y pocos estudios han verificado un rol ecológico en beneficio de la planta. Este es el caso de Pleurothallis coriacardia una orquídea endémica de bosques montanos de los Andes, con hábitos epífitos y litófitos. En el presente estudio, se aisló la fracción cultivable de hongos endófitos de especímenes maduros de P. coriacardia, mediante amplificación por PCR y secuenciación de la región ITS. Además se evaluó el potencial de 15 aislados seleccionados en ensayos preliminares como promotores de la germinación, analizando la tasa de cada estado de desarrollo de las semillas en presencia de cada hongo. Se logró identificar 134 cepas de hongos endófitos, con una elevada frecuencia de géneros pertenecientes a la familia Psathyrellaceae. En los ensayos de germinación, cepas identificadas como Ilyonectria sp. y Coprinellus sp., promovieron significativamente el desarrollo embrionario in vitro en semillas de P. coriacardia, un resultado que resalta uno de los posibles roles ecológicos que estos hongos endófitos pueden jugar en la naturaleza. KeYwords/Palabras Clave: Andean montane forest, bosques montanos andinos, desarrollo embrionario, embryo development, epiphytic orchids, Ilyonectria, lithophytic orchids, orquídeas epífitas, orquídeas litófitas, Psathryrellaceae Received 11 February 2020; accepted for publication 8 April 2020. First published online: 22 April 2020. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivs 3.0 Costa Rica License. introduction. Symbiotic relationships between fungi and plants have drawn the attention of scientists since their initial description 140 years ago (De Bary 1879). Countless investigations have confirmed that most, if not all, plant species in natural ecosystems establish symbiotic relationships with endophytic microorganisms (Sun & Guo 2012). This diverse group of endophytes includes both fungi and bacteria, which are able to colonize the inner tissues of their plant hosts without causing any apparent damage (Bayman & Otero 2006, Bonfante & Anca 2009). The interactions established between endophytic microorganisms and plants can range from mutualism to saprophytism and have influenced the ecology, survival, and evolution of the host plants.

Root endophytic fungi promote in vitro seed germination in Pleurothallis coriacardia (Orchidaceae)