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Serendipita sp.407
Photo credit: Sarah Unruh

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.