View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by The Research Repository @ WVU (West Virginia University) Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 1998 Characterization of diversity of fungi forming arbuscular endomycorrhizae in selected plant communities Sidney Luiz Sturmer West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Sturmer, Sidney Luiz, "Characterization of diversity of fungi forming arbuscular endomycorrhizae in selected plant communities" (1998). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 3151. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/3151 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CHARACTERIZATION OF DIVERSITY OF FUNGI FORMING ARBUSCULAR ENDOMYCORRHIZAE IN SELECTED PLANT COMMUNITIES Sidney L. Stürmer Dissertation submitted to the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences of West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy in Developmental Biology Joseph Morton, Chair Jonathan Cumming Keith Garbutt Daniel Panaccione Alan Sexstone December 11, 1998 Morgantown, West Virginia Keywords: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Systematics, Taxonomy, Ecology CHARACTERIZATION OF DIVERSITY OF FUNGI FORMING ARBUSCULAR ENDOMYCORRHIZAE IN SELECTED PLANT COMMUNITIES Sidney L. Stürmer (ABSTRACT) Knowledge of taxonomic and functional diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomales, Zygomycetes) is important in understanding the biology and ecology of such a widespread mycorrhizal symbiosis. More definitive criteria for grouping and ranking taxa were established by reinterpreting morphological characters in selected species of Glomus (Glomaceae) and Acaulospora and Entrophospora (Acaulosporaceae) based on spore ontogenesis. Members of both families shared some patterns, such as discrete stages of spore growth and differentiation in three phases, resulting in the formation of three possible character complexes: a spore wall, flexible inner walls, and a pregermination structure. Families differed in presence or absence of one or more of these complexes. Genera diverged in subcellular organization of these complexes, and species diverged solely with changes in structure and phenotypic differences in the spore wall. With improved criteria for species delimitation, studies then were conducted to assess taxonomic structure in fungal communities. This process required methods to induce or stimulate sporulation by cryptic fungal species, such as successive propagation cycles of trap pot cultures. Trap cultures varied widely in their efficiency to detect non-sporulating species (15-100%), possibly because of differences in the environment, especially temperature, between the native habitat and greenhouse conditions. Glomus species dominated all baited communities, both in number and amount of sporulation. Infectivity of total fungal propagules was predicted by spore numbers, but infectivity was not correlated with species richness. Inocula of single isolates from three fungal communities were established from trap cultures to examine the proportion of effective and non-effective fungi present in each community. Effectiveness assays using soybean and red clover as hosts revealed that at least one fungal isolate from each community was effective in increasing plant growth and phosphorus foliar content. Fungal isolates that were highly effective or non-effective produced similar responses in both hosts, suggesting that effectiveness has a heritable component. A mix of all members of each fungal community performed as well or better than the most effective isolate in each community. These results suggest that management of indigenous fungal communities may be a preferred strategy to introduction of commercial inocula in natural or managed ecosystems. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Joe Morton for all his guidance, support, friendship and criticisms that helped me to be a better researcher and person. I thank all faculty members of the Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, and Dr. Daniel Panaccione, Dr. Alan Sexstone, Dr. Jonathan Cumming and Dr. Keith Garbutt for their guidance as members of my committee. Also, thanks to Dr. Edwin Townsend for his help and advice on the statistical analyses. I thank West Virginia University and CNPq-Brazil for financial support. Also, a warm thank to Dr. Steve Bentivenga who helped me in many ways while at WVU and Marlise Franke-Snyder for being genuine friends. My thanks to Bill Wheeler and Beth Thomas for helping me with my experiments and to Kris Nichols, Kelly Heldreth and Nancy Arnold for being such nice friends all the time. I also would like to thanks my former advisor, Dr. Margarida de Mendonça, for all encouragement and support she gave me during my initial steps on my career, and also everybody in the mycorrhizal laboratory in Florianópolis, SC. My very special thanks to all my Brazilian friends I made here: Edson, Marcia, Alexandre, Karina, Luciana, and Neto who made my days here more pleasant, and especially Mara (mãezona) for her happiness, support and good cooking. To my family, especially my parents Noir and Maria Stürmer, and my brothers Pablo and Diego Stürmer, for their love and support for all these years and throughout my life (obrigado de coração!!). And, to Carla Ferreira, my soul-mate and better-half for her immense support on the last steps of this journey, thank you for your wonderful and unconditional love. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT...........................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................................iii TABLE OF CONTENTS....................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ vi LIST OF FIGURES..............................................................................................viii INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................1 Chapter 1 – Developmental patterns defining morphological characters in spores of four species in Glomus ......................................................................6 Introduction............................................................................................................7 Material and Methods.............................................................................................7 Experimental isolates .........................................................................................7 Experimental design...........................................................................................8 Stages of spore differentiation ............................................................................8 Spore germination ..............................................................................................9 Results....................................................................................................................9 Differentiation of Glomus etunicatum spores......................................................9 Differentiation of Glomus clarum spores ...........................................................10 Differentiation of Glomus intraradices spores ...................................................10 Differentiation of Glomus claroideum spores ....................................................11 Taxonomic analysis...........................................................................................11 Discussion .............................................................................................................12 Developmental interpretation of spore structure.................................................12 Interpretation of spore developmental stages .....................................................13 Phylogenetic interpretation of developmental sequences....................................13 Literature Cited .....................................................................................................14 Chapter 2 – Taxonomic reinterpretation of morphological characters in Acaulosporaceae based on developmental patterns in two Acaulospora and one Entrophospora species.......................................................21 Introduction...........................................................................................................22 Material and Methods............................................................................................22 Experimental isolates ........................................................................................22