Molecular analysis of fungi associated with the Mediterranean orchid Ophrys bertolonii Mor

Mycorrhizal fungi are fundamental in orchid growth and metabolism and influence the distribution and rarity of these delicate plants. Fungal molecular systematics has been instrumental for the identification of orchid mycorrhizal symbionts because it overcomes the limits associated with in vitro isolation and morphological characterization of orchid endophytes. In this paper, fungal diversity in the Mediterranean orchid Ophrys bertolonii was analyzed using molecular methods. Total DNA from the roots of 12 adult orchid individuals, collected in Central Italy, was extracted and fungal ITS regions were PCR amplified using the primer pair ITS1F/ITS4, cloned and sequenced. Several fungal taxa belonging to Basidiomycota and Ascomycota were found in the analyzed orchid root samples. Results suggest that the studied orchid species may establish symbiotic relationships with a dominant fungal partner belonging to Tulasnellaceae.