Ericaceous Plants: A Review for the Bioprospecting of Ericoid Mycorrhizae from Ecuador

Abstract

Ericaceae are a group of plants with biotechnological and commercial importance. These plants establish symbiotic associations with a wide group of mycorrhizal fungi. National and global studies have focused on two of them: arbuscular endomycorrhizae and ectomycorrhizae. The most recent type of mycorrhiza recorded is the cavendishioid ectendomycorrhizae. The cavendishioid is one of the least-studied and understood mycorrhizae, along with monotropoid and arbutoid mycorrhizae. Among the potentialities of these ectendomycorrhizae are the alleviation of environmental stress, the facilitation of establishment, survival, the ability to form dual mycorrhizae, and their importance as a fundamental biological element of plant ecological successions. However, the factors that influence or correlate with the diversity of some of these fungal guilds, as well as the functional significance of their associations, are still unknown. The present review focuses on ericoid mycorrhiza from Ecuador in order to promote their study and thus take advantage of the benefits that they provide to endemic species and those of commercial interest. This material contributes significantly to reducing research gaps and channeling applied projects in the biological sciences.

Soil bacteria and fungi communities are shaped by elevation influences in Colombian forest and páramo natural ecosystems

“…Additionally, plants of the Espeletia genus (frailejones) have been shown to harbor high abundances of the bacteria Candidatus Koribacter and Candidatus Solibacter in their roots (Ruiz-Pérez et al 2016 ), which break down starch, hemicellulose, pectin, and other compounds (Rawat et al 2012 ), possibly explaining the high abundance of these genera in the ecosystem. Meanwhile, Bejaria and Vaccinium plants of the Ericaceae family have a symbiotic relationship with soil mycorrhizae that aid in the absorption of nutrients from recalcitrant molecules (Flores et al 2022 ). Similarly, fungi in the Archaeorhizomyces genus have been preliminarily associated with the rhizosphere of tundra and páramo plants, possibly performing bioweathering processes (Pinto-Figueroa et al 2019 ).…”

Native plants from the genus Vaccinium in Colombia and their potential uses. A review

“…Apart from their prospective role in the food industry and medicine, native Ericaceae species play an important ecological role. They favor recovery of degraded highlands (Castellanos-Castro and Bonilla, 2011;Sierra-Escobar et al, 2020); in particular, the plants of the Cavendishia genus repopulate mountain habitats affected by landslides or road construction (Pacheco Flores de Valgaz et al, 2022). In the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá, plants of Thibaudia and Cavendishia frequently establish themselves on anthropogenically disturbed areas, such as roadsides, while Macleania rupestris ("uva camarona", in Spanish) naturally invades mountain slopes subjected to soil erosion, which implies its possible use for ecological restoration of the páramo.…”