Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve

05 Mar, 01 AM - 05 May, 09 AM

The purpose of the project is to understand geographical variation in the interaction between conifers and their mycorrhizal fungi. Specifically, the goal is to quantify variation in ecological traits of the interaction (e.g., the effect of a fungus on plant growth) within species among sites, with the goal of determining whether plants and their mycorrhizal fungi are locally adapted to one another. To execute the project, I will be collecting seeds of three different pine species and sporocarps of one mycorrhizal fungus species, at multiple sites along the western coastal U.S. Experiments will then be performed in greenhouse facilities at UC-Santa Cruz, in order to obtain data. My target fungus species, Rhizopogon occidentalis, is a belowground fruiting species, and it occurs at the Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve. At least one of my target host plant species, Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), also occurs there, and thus the Reserve represents a key component of my effort to understand geographical variation in these organisms. I would like to visit the Reserve to collect seed cones of at least two individual Monterey pines, and to look for and collect sporocarps of the fungus. Disturbance to the Reserve should be minimal. Searching for the fungi involves overturning small patches of leaf litter and duff, and only a few cones will be collected from any individual tree. This project is in collaboration with Lisa Grubisha, a graduate student at UC-Berkeley, who is also studying the fungus Rhizopogon occidentalis. So, any fungi that I find would also be of benefit to her project. I would like to spend one night at the reserve, if there are camping sites or other inexpensive facilities available.

Visit #1010 @Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 865 | Research

Coevolution of pines and mycorrhizal fungi

faculty - University of Mississippi

Reservation Members(s)

Jason Hoeksema Mar 5 - May 5, 2003 (62 days)

Reserve Resources(s) | Create Invoice