Genetic structure of a natural population of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Suillus pungens
Sequence-based markers were developed to study the genetic structure and reproductive biology of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Suillus pungens Thiers & Smith in a Bishop pine (Pinus muricata D. Don) forest. Six different basidiome genotypes were found in a 1200 m2 area. Five of the six genotypes we...
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Published in | The New phytologist Vol. 138; no. 3; pp. 533 - 542 |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Cambridge, UK
Cambridge University Press
01.03.1998
Blackwell |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Sequence-based markers were developed to study the genetic structure
and reproductive biology of the
ectomycorrhizal fungus Suillus pungens Thiers & Smith in a
Bishop pine (Pinus muricata D. Don) forest. Six
different basidiome genotypes were found in a 1200 m2 area.
Five
of the six genotypes were represented by single
basidiomes. The remaining genotype comprised 13 basidiomes and covered
an area of
at least 300 m2, with
maximum measured dimensions of 40 m and 14 m. This is the largest genet
of
an ectomycorrhizal fungus
described to date, and is likely the result of vegetative growth, because
analysis of single spore isolates eliminates
the possibility of genetic identity resulting from either apomixis or
fortuitously indistinguishable recombinant
genotypes. Genetic analysis also shows that although out-crossing appears
to predominate in the population, at
least a low percentage (1·4%) of spores are secondarily homothallic. The combination of extensive vegetative growth and abundant fruiting
suggests S. pungens utilizes more carbon
than might be expected for a species which accounts for <3% of the
total ectomycorrhizal abundance at the site.
Additional carbon might come from either more efficient host–fungus
transfer, pooling of carbon from the roots
of different host plants, or saprophytism. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0028-646X 1469-8137 |
DOI: | 10.1046/j.1469-8137.1998.00122.x |