Determining the Fungal Associations of Two Co-occurring Invasive Orchids in Miami–Dade County

Fungal distribution within the environment can be heavily dependent on microhabitat conditions, which create mosaic-like fungal networks within that environment. Recent studies showed that orchids that occur within close proximity to each other are likely to share similar fungi associations (McKendrick et al., 2002; McCormick et al., 2004; Xing et al., 2013). Two invasive species Eulophia graminea and Oeceoclades maculata are known to co-occur and are rapidly spreading in municipal mulch sources in Miami- Dade County. In this study, I determine whether these two introduced species are associating with similar groups of fungi, by sampling the fungi from roots of plants from two distinct populations and habitat types in Miami (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Boystown Pineland County Park).