Collaborative Research: Diversity and Evolution of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi of the Guineo-Congolian Rainforest

有些真菌与植物有密切的共生关系。这些外生菌根真菌为植物宿主提供资源，反过来，植物为真菌提供营养。真菌与其宿主的相互作用提供了至关重要的生态系统功能，包括营养物质的再循环。虽然真菌在环境中发挥的关键作用已经得到了很好的确立，但它们在热带系统中的重要性还没有得到很好的理解，尤其是在热带非洲。这个在圭亚那-刚果雨林的项目将使用现代方法提供这些真菌和热带非洲植物关系的第一个完整的文件。 覆盖在刚果河流域的巨大森林是世界上最后的热带雨林之一。该地区目前面临的威胁包括伐木、采矿和气候变化。该项目将通过在喀麦隆未受干扰的热带雨林中进行远征实地考察，填补我们对该生态系统重要共生真菌知识的一个重大空白。该项目具有潜在的变革性，因为如果与非洲和南美洲密切相关的宿主植物相关的真菌被证明具有共同的古老起源，则这些结果将从根本上影响对外生菌根共生的进化，全球植物地理学和当地适应的理解。此外，新的DNA测序方法的应用将开发全新的、遗传学信息丰富的数据，这将改变该领域。据估计，将发现100多种新的真菌。对这些物种的认识将极大地为更广泛的研究领域提供信息。该项目的主要特点包括学生培训、基于互联网的信息共享和公众宣传。通过将传统的基于真菌的采样与高通量DNA测序相结合，该项目将提供迄今为止关于非洲热带森林外生菌根真菌的最完整的多样性数据。 此外，它将使洲际热带外生菌根真菌群落在相应的生态系统中的比较。这项研究将加强对冈瓦纳衍生的非洲热带和新热带圭亚那盾地区真菌地理学的理解。将在喀麦隆的Dja生物圈保护区和Korup国家公园建立与南美洲圭亚那地盾调查所用相同的调查地块，并将使用形态学和分子方法多年对外生菌根真菌进行采样。复制的样品设计允许非洲和南美洲之间的直接比较，允许强大的地理分析，以确定外生菌根类群在全球范围内的进化历史。

Some fungi live in close symbiotic association with plants. These ectomycorrhizal fungi provide resources to the plant host, and in return, the plant provides nutrition to the fungi. The interactions of fungi and their hosts provide crucial ecosystem functions including the recycling of nutrients. While the critical roles that fungi play in the environment are well established, their importance in tropical systems is not well understood, and this is especially true for tropical Africa. This project in the Guineo-Congolian rainforest will provide the first thorough documentation of these fungi and plant relationships of tropical Africa using modern methods. The huge forest covering the Congo River basin is one of the last great tropical rainforests of the world. Current threats to the region include logging, mining, and climate change. This project will fill a major gap in our knowledge of the important symbiotic fungi of this ecosystem through expeditionary fieldwork in the undisturbed rainforests of Cameroon. This project is potentially transformative in that if the fungi associated with closely related host plants of Africa and South America are shown to have a common ancient origin, such results would fundamentally impact understanding of the evolution, global biogeography, and local adaptation of ectomycorrhizal symbioses. Additionally, application of new DNA sequencing methods will develop entirely new, phylogenetically informative data that will transform the field. It is estimated that over 100 fungi will be discovered that are new to science. Recognition of these species will greatly inform broader research areas. Key features of the project include student training, internet-based information sharing, and public outreach. By combining traditional specimen-based sampling with high throughput DNA sequencing, this project will provide the most complete diversity data to date on ectomycorrhizal fungi of Afrotropical forests. Additionally, it will enable comparison of intercontinental tropical ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in corresponding ecosystems. The research will enhance understanding of fungal biogeography in the Gondwana-derived Afrotropical and Neotropical Guiana Shield regions. Survey plots identical to those used for surveys in the Guiana Shield of South America will be established in the Dja Biosphere Reserve and Korup National Park Cameroon and ectomycorrhizal fungi will be sampled using morphological and molecular methods over multiple years. Replication of sample design allows for direct comparisons between Africa and South America, allowing for robust biogeographic analyses to determine the evolutionary histories of ectomycorrhizal taxa in a global context.