Program
Biology Department
College
Arts and Sciences
Student Level
Master's
Start Date
10-11-2022 4:30 PM
End Date
10-11-2022 5:30 PM
Abstract
Precipitation patterns are a well understood driver of biological processes across the globe, with the frequency and amount determining where, when, and how plants and other organisms grow and interact. Weather patterns, however, are becoming unpredictable, as climate change is driving an increase in extreme events, such as drought. The importance of rainfall is no more apparent than in global drylands. One critical and widespread ecosystem type, covering 18 million hectares of land throughout the Southwestern U.S., is piñon-juniper (P-J) woodlands. Pinus edulis (piñon pine) is a dominant tree species in P-J woodlands and is both ecologically and culturally important to native species and indigenous peoples. Prolonged drought has caused mass die-offs of piñon pine, with cascading effects. One important interaction at risk due to die-off is the relationship between piñon pine, and the specific fungi that live in the soil and on the tree's roots. These organisms are known as mycorrhizal fungi, and are indeterminately important to trees, as they can provide up to 90% of essential plant nutrients by growing on and interacting with the roots of the trees. They differ from other fungi in that they can exist entirely below ground, as a network of branching filaments that interact with the tree's roots. My research aims to understand how precipitation variability alters the community structure of the fungi that colonize the roots of piñon pine. I have designed a greenhouse experiment where piñon pine seedlings will be exposed to field soil collected from experimental sites in P-J woodlands, to allow naturally occurring fungi to colonize their roots. A controlled precipitation regime will then be administered, with the amount of rainfall staying the same between treatments, but the variation changing throughout. DNA extractions will then be performed to analyze the community structure of the fungi in the soil and on the roots, with plant growth tracked to understand how these changes alter seedling success. Climate change is predicted to increase precipitation variability and understanding how piñon pine and their associated fungi are responding to increases in variability is the first step to conserving them.
Assessing the Effects of Climate Change on Piñon Pine and Its Associated Fungi
Precipitation patterns are a well understood driver of biological processes across the globe, with the frequency and amount determining where, when, and how plants and other organisms grow and interact. Weather patterns, however, are becoming unpredictable, as climate change is driving an increase in extreme events, such as drought. The importance of rainfall is no more apparent than in global drylands. One critical and widespread ecosystem type, covering 18 million hectares of land throughout the Southwestern U.S., is piñon-juniper (P-J) woodlands. Pinus edulis (piñon pine) is a dominant tree species in P-J woodlands and is both ecologically and culturally important to native species and indigenous peoples. Prolonged drought has caused mass die-offs of piñon pine, with cascading effects. One important interaction at risk due to die-off is the relationship between piñon pine, and the specific fungi that live in the soil and on the tree's roots. These organisms are known as mycorrhizal fungi, and are indeterminately important to trees, as they can provide up to 90% of essential plant nutrients by growing on and interacting with the roots of the trees. They differ from other fungi in that they can exist entirely below ground, as a network of branching filaments that interact with the tree's roots. My research aims to understand how precipitation variability alters the community structure of the fungi that colonize the roots of piñon pine. I have designed a greenhouse experiment where piñon pine seedlings will be exposed to field soil collected from experimental sites in P-J woodlands, to allow naturally occurring fungi to colonize their roots. A controlled precipitation regime will then be administered, with the amount of rainfall staying the same between treatments, but the variation changing throughout. DNA extractions will then be performed to analyze the community structure of the fungi in the soil and on the roots, with plant growth tracked to understand how these changes alter seedling success. Climate change is predicted to increase precipitation variability and understanding how piñon pine and their associated fungi are responding to increases in variability is the first step to conserving them.
