Biological interactions in orchids: in love, head to toe

Last updated: 21 Mar, 2014


The current issue of New Phytologist (Volume 202, Issue 2) contains a cluster of papers highlighting the use of orchids as models to investigate the ecology and evolution of biological interactions. The cluster is introduced by New Phytologist Editor, Marc-André Selosse in the Commentary: The latest news from biological interactions in orchids: in love, head to toe.

 

31st New Phytologist Symposium logo

Orchids can be viewed to be ‘in love, head to toe’, because of their strong biological interactions from head (pollination by insects) to toe (mycorrhizal symbiosis with fungi). 31st NPS: Orchid symbioses: models for evolutionary ecology logo produced by APPS.

 

The focus on orchids and their biological interactions is a subject upon which New Phytologist has frequently published on over the past 20 years; more recently the New Phytologist Trust has supported this area of study by funding the 31st New Phytologist Symposium 'Orchids symbioses: models for evolutionary biology'. Bronstein et al., reports on the research discussed in their Meeting report: Understanding evolution and the complexity of species interactions using orchids as a model system. They explore the important question 'Can the study of such an unusual plant family hosting such an unusual set of interspecific interactions really serve as a model system for addressing fundamental questions in evolutionary ecology?' and the ways in which orchids can take us well beyond our current but rapidly increasing base of knowledge. 

 

The following papers are included in the current issue:

 
Bronstein JL, Armbruster WS, Thompson JN. 2014. Understanding evolution and complexity of species interactions using orchids as a model system. New Phytologist 202: 373–375.
 
Jacquemyn H, Brys R, Merckx VSFT, Waud M, Lievens B, Wiegand T. 2014. Coexisting orchid species have distinct mycorrhizal communities and display strong spatial segregation. New Phytologist 202: 616–627.
 
Kuga Y, Sakamoto N, Yurimoto H. 2014. Stable isotope cellular imaging reveals that both live and degenerating fungal pelotons transfer carbon and nitrogen to orchid protocorms. New Phytologist 202: 594–605.
 
McCormick MK, Jacquemyn H. 2014. What constrains the distribution of orchid populations? New Phytologist 202: 392–400.
 
Selosse MA. 2014. The latest news from biological interactions in orchids: in love, head to toe. New Phytologist 202: 337–340.
 
Stöckel M, Těšitelová T, Jersáková J, Bidartondo MI, Gebauer G. 2014. Carbon and nitrogen gain during the growth of orchid seedlings in nature. New Phytologist 202: 606–615.