A4 Responses of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to nutrient additions in Southern Ecuador.
[funded by dfg]
PI(s) for this project:
Abstract:
The goal of this project, embedded in PAK 823/1, is to enhance the comparatively poor knowledge about arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) in tropical mountain forest systems in general, and in particular to integrate mycorrhizal responses into ongoing nutrient manipulations (NUMEX; NUtrient Manipulation EXperiment) at the research site in Southern Ecuador. Within this framework, we test hypotheses about the abundance of AM fungi in roots and in the soil (extraradical hyphae) based on the resource balance model. We build on our previous measurements showing rapid responses to fertilization, especially N. Using molecular ecology tools (pyrosequencing) we test for differences in AM fungal assemblages in roots in response to nutrient manipulations and along elevational gradients. In our proposal, we include the existing NUMEX-ECSF sites and include a focus on understanding functionality of AMF using rotated/ static core arrays. We hope this work will make a decisive contribution to our knowledge of AM in this tropical system.
Description:
The goal of this project, embedded in PAK 823/1, is to enhance the comparatively poor knowledge about arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) in tropical mountain forest systems in general, and in particular to integrate mycorrhizal responses into ongoing nutrient manipulations (NUMEX; NUtrient Manipulation EXperiment) at the research site in Southern Ecuador. Within this framework, we test hypotheses about the abundance of AM fungi in roots and in the soil (extraradical hyphae) based on the resource balance model. We build on our previous measurements showing rapid responses to fertilization, especially N. Using molecular ecology tools (pyrosequencing) we test for differences in AM fungal assemblages in roots in response to nutrient manipulations and along elevational gradients. In our proposal, we include the existing NUMEX-ECSF sites and include a focus on understanding functionality of AMF using rotated/ static core arrays. We hope this work will make a decisive contribution to our knowledge of AM in this tropical system.
