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

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

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 how their diversity is distributed within- and between host species. This project will quantify endophyte diversity in a lowland Amazonian tree species, and examine the relative importance of geographic distance and habitat in determining endophyte community membership. This will be achieved using cutting-edge DNA sequencing technology that allows direct examination of microbial communities, independent of conventional cultivation methods. Fungi and other microbes have immense effects on ecological processes, often resulting from their interactions with larger organisms. In the case of endophytes, the ability of a plant to respond to its environment may be partly mediated by its fungal partners. Because chemistry is the currency of host-symbiont interactions, this project will reveal potential targets for drug discovery, as well as advance our understanding of fungal species richness and ecology. During the field component, undergraduates from a university in Amazonian Peru will receive training in ecology, plant identification, and fungal culture techniques. An undergraduate in the United States will receive training in basic molecular methods. Results will be published in English and Spanish, to facilitate further study by scientists from the host region and abroad.