Liverworts frequently form mycothalli on Spitsbergen in the High Arctic

Kevin K. Newsham; William P.  Goodall-Copestake

doi:10.33265/polar.v40.7727

Kevin K. Newsham British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, UK
William P. Goodall-Copestake British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, UK; and Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Argyll, Scotland, UK

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v40.7727

Keywords: Edaphic factors, Jungermanniidae, leafy liverworts, Serendipita, Svalbard, symbiosis

Abstract

Mycothalli, symbioses between liverworts and soil fungi, have not previously been recorded in the Arctic. Here, 13 species of leafy liverwort from west Spitsbergen in the High Arctic are examined for the symbiosis using epifluorescence microscopy and sequencing of fungal ribosomal (r)RNA genes amplified from plant tissues. Microscopy showed that intracellular hyphal coils, key indicators of the symbiosis, were frequent (>40% stem length colonized) in nine species of liverwort in the families Anastrophyllaceae, Lophoziaceae, Cephaloziellaceae, Cephaloziaceae and Scapaniaceae, with hyphae occurring frequently (>40% cells occupied) in the rhizoids of 10 species in the same families. Dark septate hyphae, apparently formed by ascomycetes, were frequent on the stems of members of the Anastrophyllaceae, Cephaloziellaceae and Cephaloziaceae, and typically those growing on acidic mine tailings. Sequencing of fungal rRNA genes showed the presence of nine distinct groups (based on a 3% cut-off for ITS sequence divergence) of the basidiomycete Serendipita in the Anastrophyllaceae and Lophoziaceae, with ordinations and correlative analyses showing the presence of the genus to be positively associated with the frequency of hyphal coils, the occurrence of which was positively associated with edaphic factors (soil δ¹⁵N value and concentrations of moisture, nitrogen, carbon and organic matter). We propose that the frequency of mycothalli in leafy liverworts on west Spitsbergen, which is an order of magnitude higher than at lower latitudes, may arise from benefits conferred by mycobionts on their hosts in the harsh environment of the High Arctic.

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