Utilisation of carbon substrates by multiple genotypes of ericoid mycorrhizal fungal endophytes from eastern Australian Ericaceae

The abilities of six genotypes of two putative Helotiales ascomycete ericoid mycorrhizal fungal taxa from Woollsia pungens and Leucopogon parviflorus (Ericaceae) to utilise glucose, galactose, mannose, cellobiose, carboxymethylcellulose, crystalline cellulose, starch and xylan as sole carbon sources were tested in axenic liquid culture. With the exception of all taxon II isolates on carboxymethylcellulose, all genotypes of both taxa produced measurable biomass on all substrates. Significant intraspecific variation was observed in biomass production on all substrates. While pooled data for all genotypes of each taxon revealed significant interspecific differences in biomass production on carboxymethylcellulose, glucose, cellobiose, and starch, mean biomass production for each taxon on the latter three substrates differed less than threefold, suggesting that the saprotrophic abilities of the two taxa are broadly similar.