Tulasnella sp.
427
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.
Tulasnella sp. 427 (UAMH 11955) was isolated from roots
of the diminutive epiphytic Jingle Bell Orchid, Dendrophylax
porrectus, in 2014, at McBride's Pond in the Florida Panther
National Wildlife Refuge (FPNWR) in Collier Co., Florida. This
fungus was shown to be effective at facilitating seed germination
of several epiphytic orchid species in vitro, most notably
the Cigar Orchid, Cyrtopodium punctatum. Isolation of
Tulasnella from a Dendrophylax species is
noteworthy. This fungus has yet to be tested in symbiotic
germination using seeds from the host species.