title: Scleroderma areolatum ectomycorrhiza on Fagus sylvatica L.
abstract: Despite its broad host range and distribution and its potential applications in commercial plantation forests, comprehensive descriptions of Scleroderma ectomycorrhizae are available only for Scleroderma citrinum, Scleroderma bovista and Scleroderma sinnamariense. This study provides a morphological and anatomical description of tree nursery derived ectomycorrhizae of Scleroderma areolatum on Fagus sylvatica, grown for several years in a climatized room. Ectomycorrhizae of S. areolatum were silvery white with abundant rhizomorphs; all mantle layers were plectenchymatous, rhizomorphs of type E, with prominent emanating hyphae with thick cell wall. The distal ends of emanating hyphae of rhizomorphs were inflated and often merged with other emanating hyphae. All parts of the mycorrhiza were clampless. In hyphae of the outer mantle layer, rhizomorphs and emanating hyphae, oily droplets were observed that did not stain in sulfo-vanillin and disappeared in lactic acid after a few hours. Although the phylogenetic analysis positioned the newly described ectomycorrhiza together with Scleroderma verrucosum and Scleroderma cepa in a single clade with a taxon name SH005470.07FU, the ectomycorrhizae of these three species can be morphologically well separated based on rhizomorph type.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Physiology and Genetics, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. tanja.mrak@gozdis.si.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3228-367X
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mrak
authors.affiliation: Institute of Landscape Biogeochemistry, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Strasse 84, 15374, Müncheberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kühdorf
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Physiology and Genetics, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Tine
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grebenc
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Physiology and Genetics, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Štraus
authors.affiliation: Institute of Landscape Biogeochemistry, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Strasse 84, 15374, Müncheberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Babette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Münzenberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Physiology and Genetics, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Hojka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kraigher
mesh_terms: D029964:Fagus / Q000382:microbiology*; D025301:Hyphae; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D013559:Symbiosis
keywords: European beech; Long-distance exploration type; Morphological and anatomical description; Pioneer ectomycorrhizal fungi; Rhizomorphs