Publications by authors named "Eriko Funabiki"
Article Synopsis
- Mixotrophy (MX) in plants, particularly in orchids like Cremastra variabilis, shows variations in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) abundances based on the type of fungi they associate with.
- Researchers found that different mycobionts, especially from the Psathyrellaceae family, significantly affect the nutrient levels in the orchids, with those having mycorhizomes showing higher C availability.
- The study highlights how C. variabilis adapts to its environment through diverse fungal associations, enhancing its nutrient uptake and morphological development.
Premise Of The Study: Photosynthetic orchids found in highly shaded forests are often mixotrophic, receiving part of their carbon energy via ectomycorrhizal fungi that had originally received carbohydrate from trees. A photosynthetic orchid, Cremastra appendiculata, is also found under highly shaded forest, but our preliminary data suggested that its associated fungi were not ectomycorrhizal. We tested whether their relation is an unusual example of a mixotrophic orchid associating with saprotrophic fungi by direct detection of fungal DNAs in conjunction with isolation of the fungus in pure culture and experimental inoculation of orchid seeds with the fungus.
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