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Where the wild things are: looking for uncultured Glomeromycota
Brian M Ohsowski1, P Dylan Zaitsoff1, Maarja Öpik2
1Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC, Canada.
The New Phytologist
|June 21, 2014
Summary
Most studied arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are ruderal, biasing our understanding. Natural AM fungal communities, especially in wild plants and habitats, largely comprise uncultured species.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Ecology
- Plant-Microbe Interactions
Background:
- Current understanding of Glomeromycotan fungi relies heavily on cultured isolates, potentially representing only ruderal life-history strategies.
- This reliance may bias our knowledge towards arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi prevalent in disturbed habitats and associated with disturbance-tolerant plants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether DNA-based community surveys reveal a higher proportion of cultured AM fungal species in human-impacted habitats and with cultivated plants compared to natural settings.
- To assess the composition of AM fungal communities in diverse habitats and with various host plants.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis was conducted using the MaarjAM database, which contains curated, open-access Glomeromycotan sequences.
- Data from studies on AM fungal communities across different habitats and host plants were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Human-impacted habitats exhibited a significantly greater proportion of cultured AM fungal taxa compared to undisturbed forests and grasslands/savannahs.
- Cultivated plants hosted a higher proportion of cultured AM fungal taxa than wild plants.
- Natural AM fungal communities are predominantly composed of uncultured taxa, particularly in natural habitats and associated with wild plants.
Conclusions:
- Knowledge of AM fungi is skewed by a focus on cultured, ruderal species.
- Natural AM fungal communities in undisturbed ecosystems and associated with wild flora are largely uncharacterized.
- Further research is needed to understand AM symbioses in natural settings, beyond those in cultivated plants and human-impacted environments.
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