Data from: Matching symbiotic associations of an endangered orchid to habitat to improve conservation outcomes

Background and Aims: An understanding of mycorrhizal variation, orchid
seed germination temperature and the effect of co-occurring plant species
could be critical for optimising conservation translocation of endangered
plants with specialised mycorrhizal associations. Methods: Focussing on
the orchid Thelymitra epipactoides we isolated mycorrhizal fungi from ten
plants within each of three sites; Shallow Sands Woodland (SSW), Damp
Heathland (DH) and Coastal Heathland Scrub (CHS). Twenty-seven fungal
isolates were tested for symbiotic germination under three temperature
ranges: 12-16°C, 16-24°C or 27°C. Fungi were sequenced using the ITS,
nLSU, 28S and mitochondrial regions. Orchids were grown to maturity and
co-planted with each of ten associated plant species with tuber width
measured at 12 months after co-planting. Key Results: Two Tulasnella
fungal lineages were isolated and identified by phylogenetic analyses,
OTU1 and “T. asymmetrica”. Fungal lineages were specific to sites and did
not co-occur. OTU1 (from the SSW site), germinated seed predominately at
12-16°C (typical of autumn-winter temperature) whereas “T. asymmetrica”
(from the DH and CHS sites), germinated seed across all three temperature
ranges. There was no difference in the growth of adult orchids germinated
with different OTUs. There was a significant reduction in tuber size of T.
epipactoides when co-planted with six of the commonly co-occurring plant
species. Conclusions: We found orchid fungal lineages and their
germination temperature can change with habitat and established that
translocation sites can be optimised with knowledge of co-occurring plant
interactions. For conservation translocations, particularly under a
changing climate, we recommend plants should be grown with mycorrhizal
fungi tailored to the recipient site.