| Bala Chaudhary, M.S. RESEARCH INTERESTS CURRENT PROJECTS Is soil stability linked to mycorrhizal fungi? Untangling the arid ecology of fungal mutualists. Collaborators: Thom O’Dell, Andrea Redman, Matthias Rillig, and Nancy Johnson. Funding: Bureau of Land Management: Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Desertification threatens nearly 1/3 of the land area in the United States. Desertification is often initiated by disturbance that causes soil loss and plant loss, which quickly accelerates into an erosional feedback cycle. It is important to untangle the processes behind this cycle in order to slow or perhaps even ameliorate desertification. AM fungi are strongly related to soil stability; they bind soil particles through the production of hyphal networks and Glomalin related soil protein. However, just how AM fungi fit into the erosional feedback cycle of arid lands remains unknown. By studying AM fungal activity in stable and unstable soils we can begin to understand the linkages between soil stability and mycorrhizal fungi. Trends in Mycorrhizal Functioning: A Meta-Analysis Collaborators: Jason Hoeksema, Nancy Johnson, James Umbanhower, Lynette Abbott, Mike Amaranthus, James Bever, Catherine Gehring, John Klironomos, R. Michael Miller, John Moore, Mark Schwartz, Suzanne Simard, William Swenson, Lawrence Walters, Gail Wilson, and Catherine Zabinski. Funding: NCEAS, National Center for Ecological Synthesis and Analysis At the heart of meta-analysis is the concept that the progress of science depends on the ability to reach general conclusions from a body of research. (Gurevitch and Hedges 1993) Meta-analysis combines the effect and sample size of multiple independent studies in order to discern broad quantitative patterns based on multiple outcomes. Decades of mycorrhizal research have yielded conflicting results on the overall functioning of mycorrhizal symbioses. Can any general conclusions be made or is the symbiosis idiosyncratic? We designed MycoDB, a web-based tool developed for the purpose of compiling data on mycorrhizal experiments. A web tool allows multiple collaborators to contribute information at different times from various locations, while still maintaining the integrity of the data. We hope to use this database to perform meta-analyses to synthesize the currently disparate body of empirical and theoretical work on mycorrhizal function within communities and ecosystems. A Technical Manual for the Use of Mycorrhizal Inoculum in Ecosystem Restoration Collaborators: Jason Hoeksema, Nancy Johnson, James Umbanhower, Lynette Abbott, Mike Amaranthus, James Bever, Catherine Gehring, John Klironomos, R. Michael Miller, John Moore, Mark Schwartz, Suzanne Simard, William Swenson, Gail Wilson, and Catherine Zabinski. Funding: NCEAS, National Center for Ecological Synthesis and Analysis Mycorrhizal inoculum is becoming increasingly available commercially and routinely used in ecological restoration and revegetation projects. Land managers and restoration ecologists are often faced with conflicting information on the relevance and necessity of mycorrhizal inoculation in their projects. We aim to present the many factors that should be considered before incorporating mycorrhizal inoculum into projects including project goals, site considerations, budget constraints, and monitoring. We hope to produce a brief and easy-to-use reference that managers and can continually refer to when considering mycorrhizal fungi in ecological restoration efforts. Email: vbc2@dana.ucc.nau.edu |