Gastrodia flavilabella tubers and surrounding soil Targeted loci environmental. soil metagenome

Mycoheterotrophic orchids are achlorophyllous plants that obtain carbon and nutrients from their mycorrhizal fungi. They often show strong preferential association with certain fungi and may obtain nutrients from surrounding photosynthetic plants through ectomycorrhizal fungi. However, it is still not clear if the association of specific fungi with orchids is affected by the microbial community of the environment. Gastrodia is a larger genus of mycoheterotrophic orchids in Asia, but Gastrodia speices' association with fungi has not be studied thoroughly. This study intends to answer two questions: (1) whether certain fungi are preferentially associated with Gastrodia flavilabella and (2) if the preferential associations are affected by the composition of fungi in the environment.