Sebacinales distribution patterns in plant communities

分子、生态和超微结构研究表明，担子菌目Sebacinales表现出丰富的相互作用类型：外生菌根、兰花菌根、阿布类菌根、海绵状菌根、环状菌根和丛枝菌根，以及内生相互作用。我们未发表的数据表明，Sebacinales与植物的关联性在田间很常见且广泛分布，但也表明这一组的地理分布模式既不是共同进化过程的结果，也不是寄主专一性的结果。因此，在本项目中，我们利用分子标记和超微结构分析，旨在推断系统发育关系，并阐明驱动塞巴氏菌群落多样性和组成格局的因素。此外，我们希望研究与山地、亚高山和高山生态系统中草本植物和共生植物相关的Sebacinales的细胞相互作用。将检验的主要假设是：(I)景天目群落的多样性和组成由植被类型决定，(Ii)景天目与寄主植物之间的细胞相互作用模式取决于寄主。该项目还将为景天目菌根结构的起源和进化提供见解，作为副产品，将产生景天目DNA条形码作为鉴定这些形态上不明显的真菌的新工具。

Molecular, ecological and ultrastructural studies have revealed that the Sebacinales, a recently described basidiomycetous order, present a unique richness of interaction types: ectomycorrhizas, orchid, arbutoid, cavendishioid, ericoid and jungermannioid mycorrhizas, and endophytic interactions. Our unpublished data show that associations of Sebacinales with plants are common and widely spread in the field, but also suggest that patterns of geographical distributions of this group are neither a result of co-evolutionary processes nor of host specificity. Therefore, in this project, using molecular markers and ultrastructural analysis, we aim to infer the phylogenetic relationships and to elucidate factors driving patterns of Sebacinales community diversity and composition. Furthermore, we want to study the cellular interactions of Sebacinales associated with herbaceous and co-occurring plants of montane, subalpine and alpine ecosystems. The main hypotheses to be tested are: (i) the diversity and composition of Sebacinales communities are determined by vegetation type, and (ii) the mode of cellular interaction between Sebacinales and their host plants is host-dependent.This project will also provide insights into the origin and evolution of mycorrhizal structures of Sebacinales and, as a byproduct, will yield DNA barcodes of Sebacinales as a novel tool for identifying these morphologically inconspicuous fungi.