Biodiversity of AM Fungi in the Grasslands of North America: Understanding the Foundation of Terrestrial Ecosystems

丛枝菌根（AM）真菌促进植物生长，在生态系统过程中发挥重要作用，但易受人为干扰。 该项目旨在更好地评估和了解AM真菌的多样性范围，通过分离，描述和培养来自一个明确定义的社区类型，北美的原生草原社区的物种。 将研究四个草原系统：高草草原、矮草草原、荒漠草原和加州草原。 形态学和分子数据将结合起来描述新的AM物种，从而建立物种描述的新标准。 物种之间的系统发育关系将得到澄清，从而推进真菌系统学的知识。 植物和AM真菌多样性之间的关系将在几个空间尺度上进行测试，这反过来将提供更好的估计有多少生物多样性是跨生态系统类型的缺失。抽样设计包括对受干扰和未受干扰的地点进行比较，以便估计可能因生境退化而面临风险的物种数量。 这项研究的一个成果将是大大扩展分子和生物学数据库。此外，草原原生真菌的纯培养物将可供科学家、教师、学生和商业企业使用。

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi improve plant growth and play an important role in ecosystem processes, but are vulnerable to human disturbance. This project seeks to better evaluate and understand the range of diversity of AM fungi by isolating, describing, and culturing species from a well-defined community type, the native grassland communities of North America. Four grassland systems will be studied: tallgrass prairie, shortgrass prairie, desert grasslands and California grasslands. Morphological and molecular data will be combined to describe new AM species, thereby establishing a new standard for species descriptions. Phylogenetic relationships amongst species will be clarified, thus advancing knowledge of fungal systematics. Relationships between plant and AM fungal diversity will be tested at several spatial scales, which in turn will provide better estimates of how much biodiversity is missing across ecosystem types. Sampling design includes comparisons of disturbed and undisturbed sites, so estimates of the number of species that might be at risk from habitat degradation can be obtained. A product of this research will be greatly expanded molecular and biogeographic databases. Also, pure cultures of fungi native to grasslands will be available for use by scientists, teachers, students, and commercial enterprises.