Collaborative Research: Ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity of the central Guiana Shield

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."This project will document diversity of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi, an important group of symbiotic fungi associated with a broad range of host plants in the central Guiana Shield (Guyana) of northeastern South America. Neotropical forests are known to harbor high levels of biodiversity in plants and animals, yet little or nothing is known about the diversity of fungi from these forests. The investigator team will combine traditional fungal sporocarp (mushroom) surveys with molecular methods that detect mycorrhizal fungi using DNA sequences to provide the first-ever complete documentation of EM fungal diversity from neotropical forests. Specific aims include development of a web-accessible database with documentation of EM fungal diversity in lowland neotropical forests, including the identities of key plant and fungal species. This project will also provide taxonomic, molecular biology, and tropical biodiversity research training for over 10 Guyanese and US postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate students, and also will support training of several indigenous parataxonomists in Guyana. By providing basic information on fungal biodiversity and unique EM-dominated habitats, this project will also help to inform conservation efforts in Guyana, and provide detailed information about native neotropical EM fungi and plants useful for reforestation of degraded habitats in the neotropics.