U.S.-Thailand Planning Visit: Assemblages of Myxomycetes and Fungi Associated with a Number of Aerial Microhabitats in the Tropical Forests of Thailand

0701464Stephenson该奖项支持阿肯色大学Steven Stephenson教授的一次计划访问，使其能够与泰国蘑菇研究基金会的Kevin Hyde博士和同样在泰国的清迈大学的Saisamorn Lumyong教授会面。这次访问将有助于对泰国北部热带森林中与几种不同类型的空中微生境有关的粘菌和真菌的组合进行详细的国际合作研究。热带森林被认为是以真菌生物多样性为特征的陆地生态系统，但这种生物多样性的主要部分尚未被记录在案。东南亚的热带森林尤其如此。热带森林群落固有的组成和结构的复杂性表现在各种不同的空中微生境中，其中大多数在北方森林或温带森林中都没有对应的生境。拟在该项目中进行的研究将是首次努力确定与这些森林中的空中微生境有关的生物体组合的特征。阿肯色大学的研究人员与泰国蘑菇研究基金会和清迈大学的研究人员之间有足够的兴趣重叠，表明他们可以成功地开展拟议的活动，这种互动将使双方受益。预计该研究项目将有助于更全面地了解世界这一区域热带森林生态系统的整体生物多样性。此外，拟议的两名美国研究生的参与将使这些职业生涯早期的研究人员获得宝贵的国际视角和洞察力。他们的泰国同行很可能会学习新的技术，并获得正在研究的生物体和微生境方面的基本专业知识。美国研究人员计划在阿肯色州科学院和美国真菌学会的年度会议上做口头和海报演示。预计研究生将开发一个网站，提供与他们在泰国的研究经验有关的信息和图像。此外，规划访问产生的数据(例如，粘菌和真菌的物种清单)将在Eumycetosan PBI/PEET网站(http://slimemold.uark.edu).)上向公众和科学界提供

0701464StephensonThis award supports a planning visit to enable Professor Steven Stephenson at the University of Arkansas to meet with Dr. Kevin Hyde at the Mushroom Research Foundation in Thailand and Professor Saisamorn Lumyong at Chiang Mai University, also in Thailand. The visit will help develop a detailed international collaborative research study of assemblages of myxomycetes and fungi associated with several different types of aerial microhabitats in the tropical forests of northern Thailand.Tropical forests are thought to be the terrestrial ecosystems characterized by the highest fungal biodiversity, but a major portion of this biodiversity has yet to be documented. This is particularly true for the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. The inherent compositional and structural complexity of tropical forest communities is manifested in a diverse array of aerial microhabitats, most of which have no counterparts in either boreal forests or temperate forests. The research to be carried out in the proposed project would represent the first effort to characterize the assemblages of organisms associated with aerial microhabitats in these forests. There is sufficient overlap of interests between researchers at the University of Arkansas and the Thailand Mushroom Research foundation and Chiang Mai University to indicate that they can successfully pursue the activities proposed, and that the interaction will benefit both sides. It is anticipated that the research project would contribute to a more complete understanding of the overall biodiversity of tropical forest ecosystems in this region of the world. In addition, the proposed involvement of two US graduate students will enable these early-career researchers to gain valuable international perspective and insight. It is likely that their Thailand counterparts would learn new techniques and acquire basic expertise in both the organisms and the microhabitats being studied. The U.S. researchers plan to make both oral and poster presentations at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Academy of Science and the Mycological Society of America. The graduate students would be expected to develop a web site providing information and images related to their research experience in Thailand. In addition, the data (e.g., species lists of myxomycetes and fungi) generated as a result of the planning visit would be made available to the public and the scientific community on the Eumycetozoan PBI/PEET web site (http://slimemold.uark.edu).