Transforming the maize treadmill : understanding social, economic, and ecological impacts

**Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Harpinder Sandhu” is provided in this record*

Growth requirements of Rhizoctonia repens M 32

Rhizoctonia repens M 32, a mycorrhizal isolate from Orchis militaris requires both a carbohydrate (glucose or sucrose) and an amino acid (aspartic acid, glycine, serine, or glutamic acid) for growth. The fungus does not require an exogenous supply of vitamins in vitro. © 1975 Dr. W. Junk bv - Publishers

Plant community attributes affect dry grassland orchid establishment

Several factors have been taken into account to explain the distribution of orchid species. We explored the extent to which plant community attributes affect the abundance and reproductive fitness of three orchid species (Anacamptis morio, Himantoglossum adriaticum and Ophrys sphegodes), native to dry grasslands. Structural attributes of plant community (e.g. cover and height) were assessed in ninety 4 m(2) plots scattered on three hill massifs of the Veneto Region (NE Italy). For the three target orchid species, the height of the flowering stalk, the relative ramet height and the number of flowers and fruits were recorded in 203 tagged ramets. Generalized Linear Model revealed that plant community attributes such as cover and height of the herb layer exert a negative effect on the abundance of orchid populations. Furthermore, regression models indicated that O. sphegodes and H. adriaticum reproductive fitness, determined as fruit/flower ratio, was positively affected by relative ramet height. Our results revealed that local herbaceous vegetation structure influences the cover and fruit set of target orchid species. However, there can be substantial variation in the response of different species and variation in the structural attributes of surrounding vegetation may be associated with differences in the strength of selection. In order to achieve effective results in orchid species conservation, protocols for the in situ conservation must detail the range of vegetation covers and heights at which orchid species are favoured and can produce the most effective inflorescences

Pteridophyte fungal associations : current knowledge and future perspectives

Current understanding of the nature and function of fungal associations in pteridophytes is surprisingly patchy given their key evolutionary position, current research foci on other early‐branching plant clades, and major efforts at unravelling mycorrhizal evolution and the mechanisms underlying this key interaction between plants and fungi. Here we provide a critical review of current knowledge of fungal associations across pteridophytes and consider future directions making recommendations along the way. From a comprehensive survey of the literature, a confused picture emerges: suggestions that members of the Lycopsida harbour Basidiomycota fungi contrast sharply with extensive cytological and recent molecular evidence pointing to exclusively Glomeromycota and/or Mucoromycotina associations in this group. Similarly, reports of dark septate, assumingly ascomycetous, hyphae in a range of pteridophytes, advocating a mutualistic relationship, are not backed by functional evidence and the fact that the fungus invariably occupies dead host tissue points to saprotrophy and not mutualism. The best conclusion that can be reached based on current evidence is that the fungal symbionts of pteridophytes belong to the two fungal lineages Mucoromycotina and Glomeromycota. Do symbiotic fungi and host pteridophytes engage in mutually beneficial partnerships? To date, only two pioneering studies have addressed this key question demonstrating reciprocal exchange of nutrients between the sporophytes of Ophioglossum vulgatum and Osmunda regalis and their fungal symbionts. There is a pressing need for more functional investigations also extending to the gametophyte generation and coupled with in vitro isolation and resynthesis studies to unravel the effect of the fungi on their host

Beitr\ue4ge zur Biologie der Gattung Zygaena Fab. (Anthrocera Scop.) III

Volume: 8Start Page: 121End Page: 12