Mycorrhizal Mediation of Plant Competition and Community Structure

各种类型的物种相互作用，包括竞争， 草食动物，互惠，以及干扰和其他 在不同时空尺度上操作的过程可以 影响植物群落的结构和多样性。 许多 这些过程已经被独立研究，但 这些不同的组织影响之间的相互作用 明白 评估如何互利共生（囊-丛 菌根真菌（VAM）和植物竞争相互作用， 草原群落结构的自然背景下， 大尺度扰动的变化状态。 共生植物物种可能对植物的生长有不同的反应。 VAM真菌的影响，以及这些对VAM的差异反应 真菌对植物的竞争和群落有很强的影响 结构。 本研究的目的是：（1）评估 VAM重要性决定了VAM真菌如何影响竞争 在菌根依赖性不同的共生植物中， 苗期和定植期，以及3） 了解菌根如何介导这些过程 影响植物群落结构。 高草草原 代表了拟议研究的理想系统，因为 依赖于菌根的草和杂类草（专性营养菌和 相对独立的种（兼性菌养生物）共存 作为重要的物种，它们争夺资源。 //

Various types of species interactions including competition, herbivory, and mutualisms, as well as disturbance and other processes operating at different spatio-temporal scales may influence the structure and diversity of plant communities. Many of these processes have been studied independently, but the interactions between these various organizing influences are not understood. Asses how a mutualism (Vesicular-arbuscular Mycorrhizae (VAM) and plant competition interact to shape grassland community structure within the natural context of a variable regime of large scale disturbance. Co-occurring plant species may respond differentially to the effects of VAM fungi, and these differential responses to VAM fungi may strongly influence plant competition and community sturcture. The objectives of this research are to 1) assess the importance of VAM determine how VAM fungi influence competition among co-occurring plants which vary in mycorrhizal dependence at both the seedling and established plant stage, and 3) to understand how mycorrhizal-mediation of these processess influences plant community structure. Tallgrass prairie represents an ideal system for the proposed studies because both mycorrhiza dependent grasses and forbs (obligate mycotrophs and relatively independent species (facultative mycotrophs) coexist as important species and compets for resources. //