DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Ecology and Host Affinity of Foliar Endophytic Fungi in Amazonian Trees

论文研究：亚马逊树木叶内生真菌的生态学和寄主亲和力

基本信息

批准号：
1110814
负责人：
Paul V. Fine
金额：
$ 1.26万
依托单位：
University of California-Berkeley
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2011
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2011-07-01 至 2014-06-30
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1110814&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
DISSERTATION RESEARCH Ecology Host Affinity

项目摘要

Plants contain a diverse array of fungi that cause no apparent harm, and may even benefit the host. These"endophytes" are especially prevalent in tropical forests, but it is not known how many types exist, nor howtheir diversity is distributed within- and between host species. This project will quantify endophytediversity in a lowland Amazonian tree species, and examine the relative importance of geographic distanceand habitat in determining endophyte community membership. This will be achieved using cutting-edgeDNA sequencing technology that allows direct examination of microbial communities, independent ofconventional cultivation methods.Fungi and other microbes have immense effects on ecological processes, often resulting from theirinteractions with larger organisms. In the case of endophytes, the ability of a plant to respond to itsenvironment may be partly mediated by its fungal partners. Because chemistry is the currency of host-symbiontinteractions, this project will reveal potential targets for drug discovery, as well as advance ourunderstanding of fungal species richness and ecology. During the field component, undergraduates from auniversity in Amazonian Peru will receive training in ecology, plant identification, and fungal culturetechniques. An undergraduate in the United States will receive training in basic molecular methods. Resultswill be published in English and Spanish, to facilitate further study by scientists from the host region andabroad.

植物含有多种真菌，这些真菌不会造成明显的伤害，甚至可能对宿主有益。这些“内生菌”在热带森林中尤其普遍，但尚不清楚存在多少种类型，也不知道它们的多样性在宿主物种内和宿主物种之间如何分布。该项目将量化亚马逊低地树种的内生菌多样性，并研究地理距离和栖息地在确定内生菌群落成员方面的相对重要性。这将通过先进的 DNA 测序技术来实现，该技术可以独立于传统的培养方法直接检查微生物群落。真菌和其他微生物对生态过程具有巨大的影响，这通常是由于它们与较大生物体的相互作用造成的。就内生菌而言，植物对其环境作出反应的能力可能部分由其真菌伙伴介导。由于化学是宿主-共生体相互作用的货币，该项目将揭示药物发现的潜在目标，并增进我们对真菌物种丰富度和生态学的理解。在实地考察期间，秘鲁亚马逊地区一所大学的本科生将接受生态学、植物识别和真菌培养技术方面的培训。美国的本科生将接受基本分子方法的培训。结果将以英语和西班牙语出版，以促进东道国和国外科学家的进一步研究。