Numerous studies of terrestrial orchids have demonstrated widespread partial mycoheterotrophy, particularly the possibility of obtaining organic matter from surrounding trees through a common fungal network. Fungi are also widespread in epiphytic orchid roots, but there have been no attempts to determine if epiphytes accept organic matter from the living stems of their phorophytes. We hypothesise that such transfer does not exist because epiphytes and phorophytes harbour different fungal communities. To test this hypothesis, we tagged three short Randia sp. trees with ¹³C-enriched CO₂ and examined ¹³C transfer from the phorophyte into the epiphytic orchids Grosourdya appendiculata, Dendrobium oligophyllum and Gastrochilus sp. in Cat Tien National Park, (South Vietnam, Cat Tien National Park, plot size approx. 1 ha). The coincidence of fungal sequences in the orchid roots and in the branches on which they grew was also examined. We did not detect ¹³C label moving from phorophytes to epiphytes. Using Illumina sequencing, 162 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected. The fungal communities were significantly different between the roots of epiphytes and branches of phorophytes, although no strict fungal specificity at the species level was found in either epiphytes or phorophytes.

陆地兰花的大量研究表明，广泛的局部真菌异养，特别是有可能通过共同的真菌网络从周围的树木中获得有机质。真菌在附生的兰花根中也很普遍，但是还没有尝试确定附生植物是否从其生植物的活茎中接受有机物。我们假设不存在这种转移，因为附生植物和生植物具有不同的真菌群落。为了检验这个假设，我们标记了三个短的Randia sp。富含¹³ C的CO _2的树木，并检查了¹³ C从自发植物转移到附生兰花Grosourdya appendiculata中，石石and和Gastrochilus sp。位于Cat Tien国家公园内（越南南部，Cat Tien国家公园，地块面积约1公顷）。还检查了兰花根及其生长的分支中真菌序列的重合性。我们没有检测到¹³ C标签从植物从植物到附生。使用Illumina测序，检测到162个真菌操作分类单位（OTU）。附生植物的根和植生植物的分支之间的真菌群落显着不同，尽管在附生植物或植生植物中在物种水平上均未发现严格的真菌特异性。