Are helleborine orchids epiparasitic upon ectomycorrhizal associations? - COMPLETED 2006

Cornelia Meyer (Univ. of Bayreuth) planting out seed to study Cephalanthera (Orchidaceae) germination in Hampshire.

This project tested the hypothesis that symbiotic germination in the genera Cephalanthera and Epipactis is dependent upon colonisation by ectomycorrhizal rather than Rhizoctonia-type fungi and that the symbionts of these helleborine orchids are co-associated with neighbouring woody autotrophs. Seeds of selected species were buried in recoverable packets at locations adjacent to and at distance from putative co-hosts of these fungi enabling chronological analysis of germination and seedling development. Symbionts were identified by molecular methods and isolated for use in mycorrhizal syntheses with co-hosts, where possible. Elucidation of the germination requirements contributed to conservation strategies for nationally rare species.

This project was funded for three years from 2004-2006, with Prof. David Read (University of Sheffield) as Principal Investigator, and collaboration with Peter Carey (CEH Monks Wood) and Kew. The outcomes were published in paper in Molecular Ecology.

Publication:

• Bidartondo, M.I. & Read, D.J. (2008) Fungal specificity bottlenecks during orchid germinaiton and development. Molecular Ecology 17: 3707-3716.