Genetic Sequences of Orchid Mycorrhizal Fungi from Australian Caladenia

Data from a study evaluating Bayesian species delimitation methods for cryptic mycorrhizal fungi. It includes DNA sequence data for 7 nuclear and mtDNA loci from 147 fungal isolates obtained from the Australian orchid genus Caladenia. The analysis found strong support for eight distinct Serendipita species.

Use Cases

• Apply Bayesian coalescent-based methods to ITS sequence divergence data for fungal species delimitation.
• Analyze patterns of host plant association within the Caladenia genus using isolate source data.
• Test competing species hypotheses derived from mtDNA variation and Bayesian admixture analysis.
• Compare species boundaries inferred from multilocus sequence data against traditional ITS-based clustering.

Strengths

• Includes DNA sequence data for 7 distinct genetic loci per isolate.
• Based on 147 fungal isolates, providing a substantial sample for analysis.
• Data supports the identification of eight distinct cryptic fungal species.
• Study applies and validates modern multilocus Bayesian coalescent-based methods.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to 147 isolates from a single host plant clade (Caladenia).
• Geographic scope is restricted to Australian orchids, limiting generalizability.
• Data does not include morphological character information for the cryptic fungi.

Provenance

Source

Michael R. Whitehead via Dryad.

Collection Method

DNA sequencing of 7 nuclear and mtDNA loci from fungal isolates collected from orchids.

Freshness

Last updated in June 2020.

Geography

Australia (orchids from the genus Caladenia).