Functional Traits of Key Species in the Ectomycorrhizal Community: Genet Size and Colonization Strategy

外生菌根真菌(EM)是温带森林生态系统中大多数优势树种的专性共生体。这些真菌已被证明是许多系统中细根生长和发育所必需的。正是在细根中，大多数植物在那里获得了它们所需的许多营养，真菌在这些根的发育过程中起着至关重要的作用，也可能在养分的转移中起到直接作用。尽管EM真菌很重要，但它们往往被植物生态学家忽视，或者被当作一个单一的群体来对待(不考虑物种)。由于它们的体型小，物种鉴定的困难和耗时的方法，加上它们在地下的栖息地，与它们合作，特别是在物种层面上，在过去是困难的。本项目将确定五种EM真菌在温带森林生态系统中的定居策略。具体地说，这项建议将研究5个物种中有3个具有非常不同的生活策略的基因的大小和空间模式。分子技术(扩增片段长度多态)将被用作识别遗传身份的主要工具。这项技术将提供快速、可靠和丰富的可变标记来源，这些标记都将使PI能够在物种水平上鉴定EM真菌。此外，使用这项技术，将更好地了解EM真菌的空间格局。这项工作将为未来的研究人员提供工具，使他们能够探索和了解关键EM真菌的种群结构。

9815262BrunsEctomycorrhizal fungi (EM) are obligate symbionts of most of the dominant tree species in temperate forest ecosystems. These fungi have been shown to be necessary for the growth and development of fine roots in many systems. It is in the fine roots, where most plants get many of the nutrients they need and the fungi play a vital role in the development of these roots and may also may have a direct role in the transfer of nutrients. In spite of their importance, EM fungi are often neglected by plant ecologists or they are treated as a single group (without regard to species). Due to their small size, the difficulty of and time consuming methods of species identification, coupled with their belowground habitat, working with them especially at the species level has difficult in the past. This project will determine the colonization strategy of five species of EM fungi in a temperate forest ecosystem. Specifically, this proposal would study the sizes and spatial patterning for genets of 3 of the 5 species that have very different life strategies. A molecular technique (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms) will be used as the primary tool for discerning genetic identity. This technique will provide a fast, reliable and abundant source of variable markers, which will all allow the PI to identify the EM fungi to the species level. In addition, using this technique, a better understanding of the spatial patterns of EM fungi will be done. This work will provide tools for future investigators and allow them to explore and understand the population structure of key EM fungi.