Diversity and identification of mycorrhizal fungi of tropical Comarostaphylis arbutoides

丛枝菌根植物是世界各地森林中常见的林下植被，也是形成树木的外生菌根。丛枝葡萄球菌是一种热带木本植物，形成丛枝菌根。这种植物由来自附近外养林木的外生菌根(ECM)真菌定居，是这些真菌在经济上重要的林木被森林砍伐后的避难所。由于哥斯达黎加是全球植物多样性的热点地区，热带外生菌根真菌C.arbutoids SSP.选择鸡冠花作为这些真菌的避难所植物。阿布托伊德是哥斯达黎加塔拉曼卡科迪勒拉特有的一种植物。应调查科迪勒拉德塔拉曼卡的三个亚高山林地中木麻黄的ECM真菌的多样性和鉴定，这三个林地是华山栎和木麻黄共同生长的地方。该项目的第一个目的是调查Arbutoid菌根形态的分类多样性，并将其与原产于奥地利高山和亚高山地区的Uva-ursi弧菌的多样性进行比较。第二个目的是研究勘探类型，以获得有关地貌类型功能多样性的信息。第三个目的是用分子方法鉴定外生菌根真菌。第四个目的是描述棉铃虫的解剖学和超微结构。有关热带外生菌根真菌和土壤生物学的知识可能有助于洞察气候变化。

Arbutoid mycorrhizal plants are commonly found as understory vegetation in forests worldwide where ectomycorrhiza forming trees occur. Comarostaphylis arbutoides is a tropical woody plant that forms arbutoid mycorrhiza. This plant, which is colonised by ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi from ectotrophic forest trees nearby, is a refuge for these fungi after forest clearance of the economically important forest trees. As Costa Rica is a hot spot of global plant diversity and probably of diversity of tropical ectomycorrhizal fungi, C. arbutoides ssp. costaricensis as a refuge plant for these fungi was chosen. C. arbutoides is endemic to the Cordillera de Talamanca of Costa Rica. Diversity and identification of ECM fungi of C. arbutoides from three sub-alpine forest sites in the Cordillera de Talamanca, where Quercus costaricensis and C. arbutoides grow together, shall be investigated. The first aim of the project is to investigate the taxonomic diversity of the arbutoid mycorrhizal morphotypes of C. arbutoides and compare it with the diversity of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, which is native amongst others in the Austrian alpine and sub-alpine region. The second aim is to study the exploration types to get information on the functional diversity of the morphotypes. The third aim is to identify the ectomycorrhizal fungi using molecular methods. The fourth aim is to describe the anatomy and ultrastructure of arbutoid morphotypes of C. arbutoides. The knowledge of ectomycorrhizal fungi and soil biology of the tropics may deliver insight into climate change.