Epiparasitic plants specialized on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Martin I. Bidartondo (), Dirk Redecker, Isabelle Hijri, Andres Wiemken, Thomas D. Bruns, Laura Domínguez, Alicia Sérsic, Jonathan R. Leake and David J. Read
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Martin I. Bidartondo: University of California
Dirk Redecker: University of Basel
Isabelle Hijri: University of Basel
Andres Wiemken: University of Basel
Thomas D. Bruns: University of California
Laura Domínguez: Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, C.C. 495
Alicia Sérsic: Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, C.C. 495
Jonathan R. Leake: University of Sheffield
David J. Read: University of Sheffield

Nature, 2002, vol. 419, issue 6905, 389-392

Abstract: Abstract Over 400 non-photosynthetic species from 10 families of vascular plants obtain their carbon from fungi and are thus defined as myco-heterotrophs1. Many of these plants are epiparasitic on green plants from which they obtain carbon by ‘cheating’ shared mycorrhizal fungi2,3,4,5,6,7. Epiparasitic plants examined to date depend on ectomycorrhizal fungi for carbon transfer and exhibit exceptional specificity for these fungi3,4,5,6,7, but for most myco-heterotrophs neither the identity of the fungi nor the sources of their carbon are known. Because many myco-heterotrophs grow in forests dominated by plants associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF; phylum Glomeromycota), we proposed that epiparasitism would occur also between plants linked by AMF. On a global scale AMF form the most widespread mycorrhizae, thus the ability of plants to cheat this symbiosis would be highly significant. We analysed mycorrhizae from three populations of Arachnitis uniflora (Corsiaceae, Monocotyledonae), five Voyria species and one Voyriella species (Gentianaceae, Dicotyledonae), and neighbouring green plants. Here we show that non-photosynthetic plants associate with AMF and can display the characteristic specificity of epiparasites. This suggests that AMF mediate significant inter-plant carbon transfer in nature.

Date: 2002
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DOI: 10.1038/nature01054

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