Orchid mycorrhiza allowed for the identification of specific taxa forming symbiotic relationships which are of interest in the study, cultivation, and conservation of orchids. This is especially important in the trade and preservation endangered species or orchids of commercial value like the vanilla bean. There have been seen trends in the type of symbioses found in orchids, depending primarily on the life-style of the orchid, as the symbiosis is primarily of benefit to the plant. Terrestrial orchids have been found to commonly associate with Tulasnellaceae, however some autotrophic and non-autotrophic orchids do associate with several ectomycorrhizal fungi. Epiphytic fungi, however, may associate
Orchid mycorrhiza bacteria and fungal species. These compounds are released into the soil surrounding the hyphal web and strip iron from mineral compounds in the soil, the spiderophore can then be reabsorbed into the fungal hyphae where the iron can be dissociated from the spiderohore and used. Haselwandter investigates the presence of spiderophores in orchid associated mycorrhizal fungi within the genus"Rhizoctonia" which utilize the spiderophore, basidiochrome as the major iron-chelating compound. Other vital nutrients may be transferred between mycorrhizal fungi and orchid plants via specialized methods, such as chelating molecules, but more research on this subject is needed. Current molecular analysis has