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Updated: Oct 26, 2025

Microscopy Techniques for Interpreting Fungal Colonization in Mycoheterotrophic Plants Tissues and Symbiotic Germination of Seeds
Published on: May 17, 2022
Leafless epiphytic orchids share Ceratobasidiaceae mycorrhizal fungi
Jiao Qin1,2, Wei Zhang1,2, Jing-Qiu Feng1,2,3
1Key Laboratory of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan, 650201, China.
Abstract:
Some epiphytic orchids in the tribe Vandeae are characterized by extremely vestigial leaves (even leafless). Thus, their leaves provide only a small proportion of carbon required for their growth and development, while a large portion of carbon may need to be supplied by their roots and mycorrhizal fungi (MF). The MF richness and composition of leafless epiphytic orchids, which belong to numerous genera with diverse ecophysiologies and wide geographical ranges, remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified the MF communities of seven leafless epiphytic species from three orchid genera from up to 17 sites in China using high-throughput sequencing. Our analyses revealed that the leafless epiphytic orchids have a highly specialized association with Ceratobasidiaceae. Several fungal OTUs were found in three different orchid genera and have promoted germinations of Chiloschista and Phalaenopsis, which may have been caused by convergent evolution of leafless epiphytic orchids. Furthermore, the MF composition of Taeniophyllum glandulosum was significantly affected by collection site and host tree. Our study provides new insights into mycorrhizal associations of epiphytic orchids.
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