Myxomycetes and Fungi Associated with Alpine Snowbank Habitats in New Zealand

9819812斯蒂芬森该奖项支持史蒂芬斯蒂芬森，费尔蒙州立大学，费尔蒙，西弗吉尼亚州，和彼得约翰斯顿，Manaaki Whenua土地护理研究，奥兰，新西兰之间的合作，对“粘菌和真菌与新西兰高山雪堆植物。“待研究的生物体，与高山雪堆相关的疟原虫黏菌，是一组仅限于高山地区的黏菌的一部分，构成了一个独特的生态群。 雪岸黏菌是已知的发生在新西兰，但从来没有被收集和研究到任何真实的程度。 在这个项目中，斯蒂芬森博士和两名本科生将前往新西兰，与约翰斯顿博士一起在高山雪堤栖息地进行必要的实地考察。建立生物多样性基线是拟议工作的一个重要方面。 在考虑全球气候变化及其影响的问题时，全面了解特定生态区域的生物体将是跟踪物种变化以应对气候变化的重要资源。 获得这些知识是更全面地了解这些生物所在生态系统的结构和功能的基本和必要的先决条件。

9819812StephensonThis award supports cooperation between Steven Stephenson, Fairmont State College, Fairmont, West Virginia, and Peter Johnston, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Aland, New Zealand, on "Myxomycetes and Fungi associated with Alpine Snowbank Habitats in New Zealand." The organisms to be studied, plasmodial slime molds associated with alpine snowbanks, are part of a group of myxomycetes that are restricted to alpine areas and constitute a distinct ecological group. Snowbank myxomycetes are known to occur in New Zealand, but have never been collected and studied to any real extent. In this project, Dr. Stephenson and two undergraduate students will travel to New Zealand to conduct the necessary fieldwork in the alpine snowbank habitats together with Dr. Johnston.Establishing biodiversity baselines is an important aspect of the proposed work. In considering issues of global climate change, and its implications, a comprehensive understanding of organisms in a given ecoregion will be an important resource for tracking species change in response to climate change. Obtaining such knowledge is a basic and necessary prerequisite to developing a more complete understanding of the structure and function of the ecosystems in which these organisms occur.