Morphological and anatomical characterization of ectomycorrhizas and ectendomycorrhizas on <i>Pinus strobus</i> seedlings in a southern Ontario nursery

A morphological and anatomical study of the mycorrhizas on Pinus strobus L. was conducted on seedlings excavated from St.-Williams nursery in southern Ontario. Micro- and macro-scopic characters were used to classify the morphotypes into complexes and, when possible, genera and species. An E-strain fungus, fungi from the Mycelium radicis atrovirens (MRA) complex, and an unidentified ascomycetous "red-type" fungus formed ectendomycorrhizal (EECM) associations, while Tuber sp., Hebeloma sp., and Thelephora terrestris formed ectomycorrhizal (ECM) associations in the nursery. Cultures of Hebeloma sp., the E-strain fungus, Tuber sp., and two morphologically distinct MRA fungi (MRA1, later identified as Phialophora finlandia Wang &amp; Wilcox, and MRA2, unidentified) were isolated from field-collected morphotypes and re-inoculated onto Pinus strobus seedlings grown in semisterile pot cultures for 4 months. In the resynthesis experiment, the E-strain fungus formed EECM with sparse intracellular colonization, and Tuber sp. formed ECM with characteristic cystidia and densely packed mantles, as they had in the field. However, unlike the MRA field specimens, Phialophora finlandia formed ECM in pot culture. Hebeloma sp., normally an ECM former with conifer seedlings, did not form mycorrhizal structures under the given culture conditions, and neither did the MRA2 isolate. Key words: ectomycorrhiza, ectendomycorrhiza, Pinus strobus, Tuber sp., Phialophora finlandia, E-strain.