Genet dynamics and ecological functions of the pioneer ectomycorrhizal fungi Laccaria amethystina and Laccaria laccata in a volcanic desert on Mount Fuji

• Published in: Mycorrhiza 2014-10, Vol.24 (7), p.551-563
• Main Authors: Wadud, Md. Abdul, Nara, Kazuhide, Lian, Chunlan, Ishida, Takahide A, Hogetsu, Taizo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Alleles; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Deserts; Ecological function; Ecology; Economic plant physiology; ectomycorrhizae; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; fungi; Genetic Variation; Japan; Laccaria; Laccaria - classification; Laccaria - genetics; Laccaria - isolation & purification; Laccaria amethystina; Laccaria laccata; Life Sciences; Microbiology; microsatellite repeats; Mycorrhizae - classification; Mycorrhizae - genetics; Mycorrhizae - isolation & purification; Original Paper; Parasitism and symbiosis; Plant physiology and development; Plant Sciences; Population Density; Population Dynamics; Salix; seeds; sexual reproduction; spore dispersal; spores; Spores, Fungal - classification; Spores, Fungal - genetics; Spores, Fungal - isolation & purification; Symbiosis; Symbiosis (nodules, symbiotic nitrogen fixation, mycorrhiza...); Volcanic Eruptions
• ISSN: 0940-6360; 1432-1890
• DOI: 10.1007/s00572-014-0571-x

To understand the reproduction of the pioneer ectomycorrhizal fungi Laccaria amethystina and Laccaria laccata in a volcanic desert on Mount Fuji, Japan, the in situ genet dynamics of sporocarps were analysed. Sporocarps of the two Laccaria species were sampled at fine and large scales for 3 and 2 consecutive years, respectively, and were genotyped using microsatellite markers. In the fine-scale analysis, we found many small genets, the majority of which appeared and disappeared annually. The high densities and annual renewal of Laccaria genets indicate frequent turnover by sexual reproduction via spores. In the large-scale analysis, we found positive spatial autocorrelations in the shortest distance class. An allele-clustering analysis also showed that several alleles were distributed in only a small, localised region. These results indicate that Laccaria spores contributing to sexual reproduction may be dispersed only short distances from sporocarps that would have themselves been established via rare, long-distance spore dispersal. This combination of rare, long-distance and frequent, short-distance Laccaria spore dispersal is reflected in the establishment pattern of seeds of their host, Salix reinii.