DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Phylogenetic approaches to functional diversity of mycorrhizal fungi: linking environmental change to ecosystem function

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Human activities have resulted in reduced biodiversity, which can lead to altered ecosystem functions. These changes in ecosystem function are likely mediated by changes in functional diversity, the number of functionally different types of organisms. Because microbes control most biochemical cycles and largely determine ecosystem responses to environmental changes, quantifying microbial functional diversity is critical to predicting the responses of ecosystems to global change. This study will test the general hypothesis that global change results in altered ecosystem function and reduced biodiversity. Specifically, the relationships among nitrogen deposition (a component of global change), soil carbon storage (an ecosystem function) and the functional diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (symbiotic fungi associated with the roots of numerous plant species) will be examined using novel phylogenetic and molecular approaches. This study will provide insights into how changes in nutrient inputs and biodiversity will affect ecosystem function, and it will generate novel information that has applications within the fields of agriculture, conservation biology and restoration ecology. By linking nutrient inputs, microbial functional diversity and ecosystem function, the results of this study can be utilized to make informed decisions regarding remediation of the negative effects of human activities on biodiversity and ecosystem function.