Fungi associated with Dendrophylax lindenii and its host trees

The Ghost Orchid, Dendrophylax lindenii, a rare and famous North American orchid, is threatened with extinction due to urbanization, pollution, and climate change. To conserve this leafless epiphytic orchid, we need to understand its relationships with its host trees and orchid mycorrhizal fungi in its natural habitat. Our research used amplicon sequencing to investigate the fungal communities colonizing 1) the Ghost Orchid roots, 2) the roots of cooccurring epiphytic orchids, and 3) the bark of host trees and non-host trees. Our results revealed that a single Ceratobasidium species associates with the Ghost Orchid. Our results advance our understanding of epiphytic orchids and inform conservation efforts.