Fungal symbionts of endangered Crocanthemum canadense (Cistaceae) in Nova Scotia

Botany ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philicity Rose Marie Byers ◽  
Rodger Evans ◽  
Zoë Migicovsky ◽  
Allison Kathleen Walker

Crocanthemum canadense (L.) Britt. (Cistaceae) is critically imperiled in Nova Scotia. The decline of Nova Scotian C. canadense is largely due to the loss of the Annapolis Valley sand barrens habitat. Fungal symbionts may aid in nutrient and water acquisition as well as plant defenses. The role of fungal associations with C. canadense is unknown; our goal was to identify fungal symbionts to inform ongoing conservation research. We isolated fungi from eighteen C. canadense plants collected from Greenwood, Nova Scotia. Using ITS rDNA barcoding of fungal cultures, we identified 58 fungal taxa. ITS2 meta-amplicon barcoding of roots and rhizosphere soil revealed 241 fungi with basidiomycetes accounting for 53.8% of reads. Chaetothyriales sp., Mycetinis scorodonius, Acidomelania panicicola, and Scleroderma citrinum were the most abundant root associates based on meta-amplicon data. We quantified percent root colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) using root staining and microscopy. The average AMF colonization rate of the roots was 29.6% (n=18). We provide a foundation for understanding the fungal community in this declining habitat and the first account of fungal symbionts in the above- and below-ground tissues and rhizosphere of C. canadense. Identifying fungi influencing endangered Nova Scotian C. canadense is valuable for developing conservation strategies.

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica Fernández-Aparicio ◽  
Koichi Yoneyama ◽  
Diego Rubiales

AbstractStrigolactones are apocarotenoids regulating shoot branching. They are also known to be exuded by plant roots at very low concentrations, stimulating hyphal branching of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and germination of root parasitic weed seeds. We show that strigolactones play a major role in host specificity ofOrobancheandPhelipanche(the broomrapes) seed germination. This observation confirms that host-derived germination stimulants are an important component determining the host specificity of these parasitic plants. Weedy broomrape species were less specialized in germination requirements than the non-weedy species except forO. cumanaandO. foetidavar.broteri. Similar results were obtained with the root exudates. Some species, such asP. aegyptiacaandO. minor, showed a broad spectrum of host specificity in terms of seed germination, which was stimulated by exudates from the majority of species tested, whereas others, such asO. cumana,O. hederaeandO. densiflora, were highly specific. Some species, such asO. minor,P. aegyptiacaandP. nana, were responsive to the three strigolactones studied, whereas others were induced by only one of them, or did not respond to them at all. The synthetic strigolactone analogue GR24, generally used as a standard for germination tests, was not effective on someOrobancheandPhelipanchespecies. Seeds of some species that did not respond to GR24 were induced to germinate in the presence of fabacyl acetate or strigol, confirming the role of strigolactones in host specificity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 328
Author(s):  
Eric L. Mills

Based on several lines of evidence, a specimen of an adult white-morph Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) now on display in the Macdonald Museum of the Annapolis Valley Historical Society in Middleton, Nova Scotia, probably originated from the 19th-century Nova Scotian bird collections of Thomas McCulloch senior (1776–1843) and his son Thomas (1809–1865), likely between 1838 and 1865. The only other records of this species in Canada are sightings in Nova Scotia in 1965 and 1966. This may therefore be the first specimen evidence of the species in Nova Scotia and Canada. Historical evidence links the specimen with the McCulloch collection of birds, part of which has survived at Dalhousie University.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abeer Hashem ◽  
E. F. Abd_Allah ◽  
A. A. Alqarawi ◽  
A. A. Al-Huqail ◽  
M. A. Shah

The role of soil microbiota in plant stress management, though speculated a lot, is still far from being completely understood. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to examine synergistic impact of plant growth promoting rhizobacterium,Bacillus subtilis(BERA 71), and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) (Claroideoglomus etunicatum;Rhizophagus intraradices; andFunneliformis mosseae) to induce acquired systemic resistance in Talh tree (Acacia gerrardiiBenth.) against adverse impact of salt stress. Compared to the control, the BERA 71 treatment significantly enhanced root colonization intensity by AMF, in both presence and absence of salt. We also found positive synergistic interaction betweenB.subtilisand AMFvis-a-visimprovement in the nutritional value in terms of increase in total lipids, phenols, and fiber content. The AMF and BERA 71 inoculated plants showed increased content of osmoprotectants such as glycine, betaine, and proline, though lipid peroxidation was reduced probably as a mechanism of salt tolerance. Furthermore, the application of bioinoculants to Talh tree turned out to be potentially beneficial in ameliorating the deleterious impact of salinity on plant metabolism, probably by modulating the osmoregulatory system (glycine betaine, proline, and phenols) and antioxidant enzymes system (SOD, CAT, POD, GR, APX, DHAR, MDAHR, and GSNOR).


2018 ◽  
Vol 156 (5) ◽  
pp. 680-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Balestrini ◽  
W. Chitarra ◽  
C. Antoniou ◽  
M. Ruocco ◽  
V. Fotopoulos

AbstractDrought represents one of the major constraints on agricultural productivity and food security and in future is destined to spread widely as a consequence of climate change. Research efforts are focused on developing strategies to make crops more resilient and to mitigate the effects of stress on crop production. In this context, the use of root-associated microbial communities and chemical priming strategies able to improve plant tolerance to abiotic stresses, including drought, have attracted increasing attention in recent years. The current review offers an overview of recent research aimed at verifying the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and chemical agents to improve plant tolerance to drought and to highlight the mechanisms involved in this improvement. Attention will be devoted mainly to current knowledge on the mechanisms involved in water transport.


Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1468
Author(s):  
Nieves Goicoechea

The association that many crops can establish with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) present in soils can enhance the resistance of the host plants against several pathogens, including Verticillium spp. The increased resistance of mycorrhizal plants is mainly due to the improved nutritional and water status of crops and to enhanced antioxidant metabolism and/or increased production of secondary metabolites in the plant tissues. However, the effectiveness of AMF in protecting their host plants against Verticillium spp. may vary depending on the environmental factors. Some environmental factors, such as the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the availability of soil water and the air and soil temperatures, are predicted to change drastically by the end of the century. The present paper discusses to what extent the climate change may influence the role of AMF in protecting crops against Verticillium-induced wilt, taking into account the current knowledge about the direct and indirect effects that the changing environment can exert on AMF communities in soils and on the symbiosis between crops and AMF, as well as on the development, incidence and impact of diseases caused by soil-borne pathogens.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document