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Snow plant (Sarcodes //sanguinea)//



= **Introduction** =

//Sarcodes sanguinea,// commonly known as the snow plant or snow flower is found in western North America ranging from Oregon down to Baja California. Most frequently it can be found among the conifer forests of California, areas of western Nevada, and in Northern Baja California. The scientific name given by New York botanist John Torrey in the 19th century translates roughly to "a bloddy flesh-like thing."

They were originally called the snow plant as they were thought to emerge from the snow during winter months, but later it was found that it wasn't until after the snow melted that this occurred. The flowering region of the plant is a bright red-pinkish color, the function of which is unknown but hypothesized to attract pollinators from a distance in the forest.

It is classified in the family //Monotropoceae,// part of the Indian pipe family, and closely related to the family //Eircaceae,// which generally are known as non-green flowering plants. Other examples are that are the related heaths like blueberries, cranberries, and rhododendrons. They are also classified as monotropoids, which is a type of parasite originally thought to be a saprophyte but were found to be mycotrophic. This indicates that they are actually parasitic in that they utilize mycorrhizal fungi as their primary source of nutrients and water due to their lack of photosynthetic activity. The reason for this being that the lack of photosynthetic pigments removes the ability of the plant to manufacture nutrients on its own. A host plant is also affected typically due to the mycorrhizal association being hosted by it.

= **Organisms involved** =

The snow plant is typically found in the coniferous forests of California due to the fact that it is the fungi that associates with these conifer trees of which the snow plant utilizes as its means of nutrient uptake and water consumption. So in an indirect manner these snow plants are also parasitic of the conifers which have a mutualistic relationship with the conifers. This is such that the sugars are transferred from the conifer into the fungi and then into the snow plant.

In essence there is the snow plant, the conifer of which it is located next to, and the mycorrhizal body found at the base of the conifer which is present. Typically the tree utilized is the fir, //Abies magnifica,// and specifically the the mycorrhizal fungi utilized is //Rhizpogon ellenae.//

More specific information on the conifer and mycorrhizae specific to the snow plants found below:

//Abies magnifica,// also known as the Red Fir is found within the western United States typically in Oregon, California, and Northern Nevada. It is typical in the Sierra Nevada range and found at elevations ranging in altitude from 4000 to 9000 feet. It is utilized in the ecosystem for many purposes typically that of supporting the biotic surrounding including insects, mammals (squirrels, fishers, black bears, wolverines, beavers), birds ( pileated woodpecker, Great Gray owl), and various species include endangered populations.

//Rhizopogon ellenae// is a type of basidiomycetes and is a commonly found ectomycorrhizae which associates with many trees in coniferous forests. They are one of the most common hypogeous fungi found in western Oregon forests.

= **Biological Interaction** =

The interaction between these three organisms is a type of symbiosis.

In the case of the fir tree and the mycorrhizal association a mutualism is observed, with phosphorous solubilization occurring by means of the fungi for the supply of the tree, with the tree in turn providing carbohydrates for the fungi.

The snow plant interaction is parasitic in that it disrupts this pathway by tapping directly into the hyphae of the mycorrhizal mycelium and stealing carbohydrates, phosphorous products, and water which is being exchanged between the mycorrhizae and its host plant. This has been shown to limit the growth of the conifers in which the snow plants are found around although does not typically kill off the tree.

= **Impact/Importance** =

This parasitic association is potentially problematic due to the ecological role of the Red Fir tree and the various organism which depend on its structure for housing and food. If the growth is limited or reduced then the flowering ability will affect the production of seed cones utilized by various mammals with squirrels being the predominant user. Also the ability of the tree to grow at a rate which will sustain the use of wood by that of beavers and the boring of woodpeckers could be limited due to the reduction of nutrient availability depending on the number of snow plants in the immediate area. Due to the various roles the Red Fir tree plays in housing these various species, particularly those which are endangered, the abundance of snow plants needs to be monitored in order to ensure these trees are able to thrive and maintain their role for the sake of the animals.

=Current Research=

One current study is looking at the specificity of the snow plant in interacting with the ectomycorrhizal fungus in terms of the necessity of its relation to //Rhizopogon ellenae.(//1) This study suggests that the snow plant is dependent on this particular species and without it then the snow plant cannot survive. This is shown with surveying study's looking at the presence and absence of the fungi present in soils surrounding the snow plant.

Another study is looking into the recovery of snow plants and their corresponding ectomycorrhizae in conditons of ground fire.(2) This study shows the majority of surface level mycorrhizae being destroyed during ground level fires due to upper layer organic combustion, with only deeper levels remaining. These deeper levels aren't typically penetrated by the snow plants roots and thus cause a negative effect in recovery during times of ground fire.

=References=

1. Kretzer et al, 2000. Regional specialization of //Sarcodes sanguinea// on a single fungal symbiont from the //Rhizopogon ellenae// species complex. American Journal of Botany, no. 12, 2000.

2. Bruns et al, 2002. Current investigations of Fungal Ectomychorrhizal Communities In The Sierra Nevada Forest. USDA Forest Service. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-183.

Snow plant data: Taken from website of Botanical Society for America and American Journal of Botany Http://www.botany.org/parasitic_plants/Sarcodes_sanguinea.php//

//Red Fir data:// //Cope, Amy.1993. Abies magnifica. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory(Producer). http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/, 2012//

//Rhizopogon data:// //Grubisha, LC, Trappe JM, Molina R., and Spatafora, JW. 2002. Biology of the ectomychorrhizal genus// Rhizopogon//. Re-examination of infrageneric relationships inferred from phylogenetic analyses of ITS sequences. Mycologia 94: 607-619.

Page authored by Michael Onofre, student of Dr. Michelle Lum at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles.