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Can viruses protect orchid species against climate change?

PLANT scientists from Murdoch University are teaming with local and international counterparts to investigate mutualistic symbiosis in WA orchids (Orchidaceae).

“The results will be of critical importance in informing conservation strategies for terrestrial orchids and other flora within WA.” —Dr Wylie. Image of Caladenia arenicola flickr (h3_six)

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Although all known orchid–virus relationships are pathogenic, Prof Michael Jones and Dr Stephen Wylie from the School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology believe certain ancient associations may be beneficial to the host plant.

In particular, they’ll be comparing physiological responses to heat and drought stresses in infected and uninfected plants to determine if viruses are able to help protect orchid species against climate change.

This characteristic has been identified in some long associations. For example, Cauliflower mosaic virus infection in Arabidopsis (a mustard-like plant in the Brassicaceae family) induces lipid transfer protein expression, which is also regulated by environmental stress.

More broadly, the Murdoch-led team aims to catalogue the biodiversity of viruses infecting terrestrial orchids, determine if they are vertically transmitted and develop simple Polymerase chain reactions (PCR) tests for detection and identification.

“The results will be of critical importance in informing conservation strategies for terrestrial orchids and other flora within WA,” says Dr Wylie.

“The work will open the floodgates on new virus discoveries in our region, with the techniques developed being applicable to a wide range of other biological systems worldwide.”

The study was inspired in part by the work of Prof Marilyn Roossinck of Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Oklahoma, USA, who is on-board as a collaborator.

In one study, Prof Roossinck led a team investigating panic grass (Dichanthelium lanuginosum) in Yellowstone National Park that thrived in hot geothermal soils reaching 48 °C.

They found that only grass infected with a fungus (Curvularia protuberata) on its roots had the ability to resist high temperature.  Neither the fungus nor the grass could withstand the temperatures alone.

Further research revealed only fungal strains infected with Curvularia thermal-tolerance virus were heat tolerant.

The genetic expression resulted in the synthesis of trehalose, a sugar known to confer drought and heat tolerance in other fungi, and melanin a pigment associated with abiotic-stress tolerance.

The Murdoch team is also benefiting from the participation of Prof Kingsley Dixon, Science Director at Kings Park and Botanical Gardens.

The Orchidaceae is the largest family of flowering plants in the world, with between 20,000 and 30,000 species. Australia has about 1,700 indigenous species.

A quarter of global orchid extinctions have occurred in this country in recent times. Seventy-six species in WA are currently listed at a high level conservation risk.


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