Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/C003128/1
Mycorrhizal interactions in native pinewoods: are ericoid and ectomycorrhizal fungi genetically and functionally distinct?
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor IJ Alexander, University of Aberdeen, Plant and Soil Science
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor D Johnson, The University of Manchester, Earth Atmospheric and Env Sciences
- Grant held at:
- University of Aberdeen, Plant and Soil Science
- Science Area:
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Terrestrial
- ENRIs:
- Natural Resource Management
- Global Change
- Biodiversity
- Science Topics:
- Environmental Microbiology
- Environmental Physiology
- Biogeochemical Cycles
- Community Ecology
- Abstract:
- The boreal forest covers a vast area of the northern hemisphere and is of immense importance both ecologically and economically. It makes up 17% of the global land surface, 70% of the all the world's forest, contains around 35% of all C in terrestrial ecosystems and is the world's major source of softwood timber. A defining feature of these forests is that the overstorey trees are conifers such as pine (Pinus) or spruce (Picea), while the understorey is made up of dwarf shrubs from the heath family such as heather (Calluna) or blaeberry (Vaccinium). In order to grow in the nutrient poor soils of the boreal forest both these groups of plants form mutualistic associations with fungi that colonise their fine roots. These are called mycorrhizas. The fungi receive carbon from the host plant and in return they transfer nitrogen and phosphorus from the soil to the green plants. At least 50% of the carbon dioxide that is released from boreal forest soils passes through the mycorrhizal fungi, so they are very important in the carbon cycle. Until recently it was thought that different fungi formed mycorrhizas on the trees (ectomycorrhizas) and the shrubs (ericoid mycorrhizas) but we have recently shown that at least some fungi can form mycorrhizas on both. This is exciting because it means that carbon fixed in photosynthesis by the trees might be used by the fungi to support nutrient uptake by the shrubs or vice versa. If this were the case it would alter the way we think about carbon and nutrient cycling in boreal forest, affect our predictions of how these forests respond to global warming, and influence the way that forest managers view the understorey. In order to confirm the importance of our observation, we need to find out whether sharing mycorrhizal fungi is widespread in the field, and get more information of how the shared mycorrhizal system works. To do this we will go to Scottish native pinewoods and use DNA fingerprinting methods to check for the presence of the same fungus in pine roots and the roots of blaeberry. We will culture these shared fungi on artificial media in the laboratory, and then use them to re-infect seedlings of pine or blaeberry growing on peat in special clear perspex boxes where we can see how they colonise the root systems. We will then use isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus to confirm that carbon moves from the host to the fungus and nutrients move from fungus to host. By growing pine and blaeberry together in the same boxes, and allowing the shared mycorrhizal fungus to form connections between the plants, we can investigate how much of the fungus' carbon is derived from each host, and how that influences how much nitrogen and phosphorus the fungus transfers to each host.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/C003128/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Standard Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Standard Grant
This grant award has a total value of £291,966
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Staff | Total - T&S | Total - Other Costs | Total - Equipment | Total - Indirect Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £128,319 | £5,572 | £51,271 | £47,779 | £59,025 |
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