US-India Cooperative Research: An Ecological and Taxonomic Study of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi

描述：该奖项授予美国-印度合作研究：一项关于外生菌根真菌的生态和分类研究。西弗吉尼亚州费尔蒙州立学院的合作者Steven L.Stephenson和H.N.B.Garhwal大学的印度植物学家Rajendra Bhatt将对北美东部和印度西北部森林中的外生菌根真菌进行全面研究。这些森林共有许多生态上重要的外生菌根形成树属。其目的是：1)比较这些真菌的种类组成、多样性、分类学、果实物候和产孢量，以及2)阐明在这两个地区代表相同分类实体的真菌种群之间存在的生物学和分类关系。该项目将产生一组关于印度西北部外生菌根真菌的物候、生产力和多样性的新数据，并将这些数据与美国研究网站的类似数据进行比较。范围：这项研究为来自美国和印度的真菌学家提供了一个独特的机会，让他们在世界上两个具有相似真菌组合的遥远地区合作进行一项关于外生菌根真菌的重大研究。斯蒂芬森在两个试验点都进行了初步研究；巴特在过去十年的大部分时间里一直在研究印度林区的真菌。该项目有助于外生菌根真菌的基础知识，并为启动进一步研究提供了大量新的数据。一位拥有现代分子生物学技术专业知识的博士后将为这一项目做出重要的分析贡献，并将成为与高等真菌分子研究的主要中心之一的联系。由此产生的数据将对木材管理、流域保护和重新造林产生重要影响。

9902175StephensonDescription: This award is for the US-India Collaborative Research: An Ecological and Taxonomic Study of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi. Collaborators Steven L. Stephenson, Fairmont State College, West Virginia and Indian botanist Rajendra Bhatt, H.N.B. Garhwal University will undertake comprehensive studies of the ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with the forests of eastern North America and northwestern India. These forests have a number of ecologically important ectomycorrhizal-forming tree genera in common. The objectives are: 1) to compare the species composition, diversity, taxonomy, fruiting phenology, and sporocarp productivity of selected groups of these fungi, and 2) to elucidate the biological and taxonomic relationships existing between populations of fungi that appear to represent the same taxonomic entity in these two regions. This project will produce new sets of data on the phenology, productivity, and diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi from northwestern India that will be compared with a similar body of data for the US study site. Scope: This research is a unique opportunity for mycologists from the US and India to collaborate on a major study of ectomycorrhizal fungi in two distant regions of the world having similar assemblages of fungi. Stephenson has done preliminary research at both test sites; Bhatt has studied the fungi of the Indian forest area for much of the past decade. The project contributes to fundamental knowledge on ectomycorrhizal fungi and provides a body of new data for launching further studies. A postdoc with expertise in the techniques of modern molecular biology will make important analytical contributions to this project and will serve as a link with one of the major centers for molecular-based studies of higher fungi. The data resulting will have important implications for timber management, watershed protection, and reforestation.