SGER: Island Biogeography of Non-discrete Organisms: Functional Analysis of Resource Island Colonization by Saprotrophic Fungi Using FT-IR Microspectrometer

9727795 Dighton菌根真菌能够在两个资源斑块之间形成生物桥梁。养分和碳可以通过真菌在斑块之间进行转运。这项SGER研究将使用傅里叶变换红外辐射（FTIR）新技术来(1)确定真菌酶对资源岛上有或没有真菌桥的分解产物的级联反应，以及(2)评估不同植物材料的分解产物是否可以用该技术进行定性测定。该研究对通过分解过程将土壤微生物多样性与生态系统功能联系起来具有直接应用价值。这将是利用FTIR技术将土壤微生物生态学中的结构与功能联系起来的首次尝试。

9727795 Dighton Mycorrhizal fungi are able to form a biological bridge between two resource patches. Nutrients and carbon can then be translocated between patches by the fungi. This SGER research will use new technology, Fourier Transform Infrared Radiometry (FTIR) to (1) determine the cascade of decomposition products in response to fungal enzymes on resource islands with or without fungal bridges, and (2) assess if decomposition products from different plant materials can be determined qualitatively with this technique. This research has direct application for linking microbial diversity in the soil with ecosystem function through the process of decomposition. This will be the first attempt to use FTIR technology to link structure and function in soil microbial ecology.