Description for Serendipita sp isolate 407
Orchid seeds require organic carbon acquired from mycorrhizal
fungi to germinate and develop. To better understand the genome
evolution of fungi that participate in the orchid mycorrhizal
symbiosis, we are sequencing a variety of fungal species that have
been demonstrated to germinate orchid seeds. Analyses of these
genomes will reveal patterns that may explain their ability to
interact with orchids.
Serendipita sp isolate 407 was isolated from a young
seedling or protocorm of the epiphytic orchid Epidendrium
amphistomum in the Florida Panther National Wildlife
Refuge, Florida, USA in July 2014. Fungi isolated from protocorms
demonstrate species that are effective at germinating orchid seeds
in the field, making this an important isolate to study.
