Mycorrhizal fungi in invasion: mycorrhizal response of non-native plant species (in het Engels)

Are you curious about the role that mycorrhizal fungi play in mediating plant invasions? We are seeking a motivated student to test how plant species change their mycorrhizal relationships from their native to non-native ranges.

Understanding where and which plant species will invade native ecosystems is a pressing ecological question. Ecologists have long focused on plant traits, plant-plant interactions (especially competition), and resource limitation as drivers of plant distributions and invasions. One exception has been the focus on belowground enemies, i.e. pathogens. However, the vast majority of plant species worldwide associate with mycorrhizal mutualisms, which are beneficial associations essential for resource uptake and competitive outcomes. Emerging research has highlighted the important role these mycorrhizal fungi play in plant biogeography and invasion, but experimental tests are still scarce.

Here, we plan to conduct a controlled greenhouse experiment to test for shifts in mycorrhizal dependence (reliance) in non-native species from native (US) to introduced (NL) ranges.

With this project, you will support seed and root collection of target plant species from several populations in the region to conduct greenhouse experiments. You will learn to work with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in greenhouse experiments, assess root colonisation and associated structures, and evaluate root architecture. Depending on interest and time, there is also the potential for associated molecular work.