Mycorrhizal colonization of root cortex water storage cells of epiphytic orchids

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription Access

Abstract

In contrast to terrestrial species, epiphytic orchids possess water storage elements as an adaptation to dry habitats. Tracheoidal elements are present in roots and are involved in the interaction with mycorrhizal fungi, which colonize orchid roots obligately. Lignified water storage cells are located in the cortex and perform the functional role of water storage. Among the lignified exodermis cells, thin-walled passage cells are present. These elements are essential for the exchange of water between the root and the environment. This study supports existing data indicating that passage cells are the only exodermis cells through which fungal hyphae can pass. It also presents evidence of water storage cells being colonized by mycorrhizal fungi and shows that lignified elements of cortex are less conducive to peloton formation than thin-walled cortex cells.

Full Text

Restricted Access

About the authors

N. M. Bibikov

Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University

Author for correspondence.
Email: bibik0808@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

E. Yu. Voronina

Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University

Email: bibik0808@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

A. K. Eskov

Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University

Email: bibik0808@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

M. Ignatov

Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: bibik0808@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow; Moscow

References

  1. Balachandar M., Koshila Ravi R., Ranjithamani A., Muthukumar T. 2019. Comparative vegetative anatomy and mycorrhizal morphology of three South Indian Luisia species (Orchidaceae) with the note on their epiphytic adaptations. — Flora. 251: 39–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2018.12.001
  2. Brundrett M.C., Enstone D.E., Peterson C.A. 1988. A berberine-aniline blue fluorescent staining procedure for suberin, lignin, and callose in plant tissue. — Protoplasma. 146: 133–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01405922
  3. Cameron D.D, Johnson I., Read D.J., Leake J.R. 2008. Giving and receiving: Measuring the carbon cost of mycorrhizas in the green orchid, Goodyera repens. — New Phytol. 180: 176–184. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02533.x
  4. Chomicki G., Bidel L.P.R., Jay-Allemand C. 2014. Exodermis structure controls fungal invasion in the leafless epiphytic orchid Dendrophylax lindenii (Lindl.) Benth. ex Rolfe. — Flora. 209: 88–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2014.01.001
  5. Holbein J., Shen D., Andersen T.G. 2021. The endodermal passage cell — just another brick in the wall? — New Phytol. 230: 1321–1328. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17182
  6. Joca T.A., de Oliveira D.C., Zotz G., Cardoso J.C., Moreira A.S. 2020. Chemical composition of cell walls in velamentous roots of epiphytic Orchidaceae. — Protoplasma. 257: 103–118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709–019–01421-y
  7. Kohler A., Kuo A., Nagy L.G., Morin E., Barry K.W., Buscot F., Canbäck B., Choi C., Cichocki N., Clum A. 2015. Convergent losses of decay mechanisms and rapid turnover of symbiosis genes in mycorrhizal mutualists. — Nat. Genet. 47: 410–415. https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.3223
  8. Koyyappurath S., Conéjéro G., Dijoux J.B., Lapeyre-Montes F., Jade K., Chiroleu F., Gatineau F., Verdeil J.L., Besse P., Grisoni M. 2015. Differential responses of vanilla accessions to root rot and colonization by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-vanillae. — Front. Plant. Sci. 18: 1125. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.01125
  9. Li J.W., Zhang S.B. 2019. Physiological responses of orchid pseudobulbs to drought stress are related to their age and plant life form. — Plant. Ecol. 220: 83–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-018-00904-x
  10. Miyauchi S., Kiss E., Kuo A., Drula E., Kohler A., Sánchez-García M., Morin E., Andreopoulos B., Barry K.W., Bonito G. 2020. Large-scale genome sequencing of mycorrhizal fungi provides insights into the early evolution of symbiotic traits. — Nat. Commun. 11: 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18795-w
  11. Olatunji O.A., Nengim R.O. 1980. Occurrence and distribution of tracheoidal elements in the Orchidaceae. — Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 80: 357–370. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1980.tb01669.x
  12. Petrolli R., Augusto Vieira C., Jakalski M., Bocayuva M.F., Vallé C., Cruz E.D.S., Selosse M.A., Martos F., Kasuya M.C.M. 2021. A fine-scale spatial analysis of fungal communities on tropical tree bark unveils the epiphytic rhizosphere in orchids. — New Phytol. 231: 2002–2014. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17459
  13. Porembski S., Barthlott W. 1988. Velamen radicum micromorphology and classification of Orchidaceae. — Nord. J. Bot. 8: 117–137. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-1051.1988.tb00491.x
  14. Pujasatria G.C., Nishiguchi I., Miura C., Yamato M., Kaminaka H. 2022. Orchid mycorrhizal fungi and ascomycetous fungi in epiphytic Vanda falcata roots occupy different niches during growth and development. — Mycorrhiza. 32: 481–495. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00572-022-01089-y
  15. Ramesh G., Ramudu J., Khasim S.M., Thammasiri K. 2020. Structural adaptations of Bulbophyllum and Dendrobium (Orchidaceae) to the epiphytic habitat and their phylogenetic implications. — In: Orchid Biology: Recent Trends & Challenges. Springer, Singapore. P. 303–342. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9456-1
  16. Tay J.Y., Zotz G., Gorb S.N., Einzmann H.J. 2021. Getting a grip on the adhesion mechanism of epiphytic orchids-evidence from histology and cryo-scanning electron microscopy. — Front. For Glob. Change. 4: 764357. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2021.764357
  17. Xing X., Jacquemyn H., Gai X., Gao Y., Liu Q., Zhao Z., Guo S. 2019. The impact of life form on the architecture of orchid mycorrhizal networks in tropical forest. — Oikos. 128: 1254. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.06363

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download
2. Fig. 1. Anatomy of fungal colonization in substrate roots of epiphytic orchids. A — Thrixspermum sp. root on transverse section (ab — abaxial side, ad — adaxial side, v — velamen, ex — exodermis, wc — water storage cell, arrowheads point at colonized cortex cell, double arrowheads point at colonized WSC); B — root of Epidendroideae gen. sp. 4 on transverse section (h — fungal hyphae in velamen, ex — exodermis, pc — passage cell, dp — degraded peloton); C — root of Epidendroideae gen. sp. 4 on transverse section (fp — intact peloton); D — root of Epidendroideae gen. sp. 4 from abaxial side on longitudinal section (rh — root hair, v — velamen, ex — exodermis, arrowheads point at fungal hyphae in root hair and velamen, double arrowheads point at colonized PCs). Scale bars: A — 200 μm, B — 50 μm, C — 40 μm, D — 100 μm.

Download (615KB)
Indexing metadata
3. Fig. 2. Confocal images of colonized water storage cells in roots of studied plants. A — Epidendroideae gen. sp. 3; B — Epidendroideae gen. sp. 4; C — Epidendroideae gen. sp. 5; D — Thrixspermum sp. Arrows point at WSCs with fungal pelotons. Scale bars: A — 100 μm; B — 180 μm, C — 200 μm, D — 60 μm.

Download (794KB)
Indexing metadata
4. Fig. 3. Shares of colonized thin-walled cortex cells from total amount of thin-walled cortex cells (orange columns) and colonized WSCs from total amount of WSCs (yellow columns).

Download (175KB)
Indexing metadata
5. Fig. 4. Fluorescence images showing colonized PCs (arrowheads) on longitudinal sections.

Download (185KB)
Indexing metadata

Copyright (c) 2025 Russian Academy of Sciences