Evaluating soil microbial environments required by forest floor plants

• Project/Area Number: 15K14750
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Forest science
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Nara Kazuhide 東京大学, 大学院新領域創成科学研究科, 教授 (60270899)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2016)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥840,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
• Keywords: 林床植物 / 共生菌 / 菌根菌 / 菌従属栄養性 / 生物多様性保全 / 菌従属栄養性植物 / 従属栄養

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In subalpine conifer forests and temperate broadleaf forests, we investigated the existence and degree of mycoheterotrophy (carbon dependence on root colonizing fungi) among a variety of forest floor plants by analyzing natural abundance of C and N stable isotopes. Root colonizing fungal communities and photosynthetic traits of putative partially mycoheterotrophic plants were also studied. Many species belonging to Orchidaceae and Pyroleae (Ericaceae) were confirmed as fully or partially mycoheterotrophic plants. While the orchid species tended to prefer a certain fungal group, Pyroleae species were colonized by a diverse ectomycorrhizal fungi without apparent specificity. Photosynthetic traits and mycoheterotrophic traits were significantly different among coexisting Pyroleae species, suggesting their niche differentiation.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Ericoid mycorrhizal fungal communities associated with alpine dwarf shrubs in Japan: effects of host identities and micro-habitats (2017)
  • Author(s): Koizumi T, Nara K
  • Journal Title: Microbes and Environments Volume: in press
  • Peer Reviewed / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Presentation] 木を育て森を育む菌根菌：菌根共生の基礎から応用まで (2016)
  • Author(s): 奈良一秀
  • Organizer: 第１２７回日本森林学会大会
  • Place of Presentation: 日本大学, 神奈川県
  • Year and Date: 2016-03-27
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Trophic strategies and photosynthetic traits of three coexisting Pyroleae species under different light conditions in subalpine coniferous forests on Mt. Fuji (2016)
  • Author(s): Jia S, Nakano T, Nara K
  • Organizer: The 63rd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of Japan
  • Place of Presentation: Sendai International Center, Miyagi
  • Year and Date: 2016-03-20
• [Presentation] 共生環境に配慮したキンラン属の移植適地選定 (2016)
  • Author(s): 渡部陽介, 米村惣太郎, 塩見直希, 奈良一秀, 清家剛, 福田健二, 徳永朋祥, 丹下健, 横張真
  • Organizer: 第６３回日本生態学会大会
  • Place of Presentation: 仙台国際センター, 宮城県
  • Year and Date: 2016-03-20
• [Presentation] キンラン属の移植手法に関する実験的検討 (2016)
  • Author(s): 米村惣太郎, 渡部陽介, 塩見直希, 奈良一秀, 清家剛, 福田健二, 徳永朋祥, 丹下健, 横張真
  • Organizer: 第６３回日本生態学会大会
  • Place of Presentation: 仙台国際センター, 宮城県
  • Year and Date: 2016-03-20
• [Presentation] Mycorrhizal specificity of the pratially mycoheterotrophic Pyrola japonica (Ericaceae) (2015)
  • Author(s): Matsuda Y, Uesugi T, Chen CF, Huh MK, Tanikawa T, Hashimoto Y, Yagame T, Selosse MA, Murata M, Nara K
  • Organizer: 8th International Conferense on Mycorrhiza
  • Place of Presentation: Northern Arizona University, USA
  • Year and Date: 2015-08-03