10.21973/N3MT1J
Sean Hinson
Mina Sadek
Host tree circumference, litter depth, and slope affect snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea) size at James San Jacinto Mountain Reserve
University of California Natural Reserve System
2021
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snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea)
Monotropes (Monotropoideae)
Rhizopogon ellenae
Pinaceae
ectomycorrhizae
Kathleen Wong
Kathleen
Wong
University of California Natural Reserve System
Spring 2021
pdf
Plant-ectomycorrhizal relationships dominate temperate forest ecosystems, and for many Pinaceae tree species, this mutualistic relationship is an essential aspect of their ability to gather nutrients. The snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea) is an ectomycorrhizal parasite that steals nutrients from host trees by accessing their root systems via the mycorrhizae. We examine microhabitat variables that affect snow plant size and phenology by measuring 5 snow plants within the James San Jacinto Mountain Reserve. We investigate the effects of distance to the largest host tree, its circumference, the depth of litter surrounding the snow plants, and the slope compared to the snow plants’ sizes and the number of reproductive parts. We find an association between larger snow plants to larger host trees. A relationship between deeper litter and steeper slopes with larger snow plants is also found and discussed. None of the microhabitat variables we tested are found to influence the number of reproductive structures. The interconnected system of the snow plant, ectomycorrhizae, and tree involves organismal specificity that can have subsequent evolutionary influences in their ecosystems.
Volume 5, Issue 4
James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve
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