Bringing an evolutionary perspective to community ecology using plant-fungal symbiotic networks as a model system (Evo-Com)
Main funder
Funder's project number: 346492
Funds granted by main funder (€)
- 299 999,00
Funding program
Project timetable
Project start date: 01/09/2021
Project end date: 31/08/2025
Summary
Plants and fungi need each other to survive. Plants of the same species can team up with a wide array of fungal species, so that in one location they team up with other fungal species than in another location. The aim of this project is to understand what determines which fungi plants form partnership with. Is it so that plants selectively team up with those fungi that are most helpful for their survival in the particular location where they grow? If yes, is this because of co-evolution that has taken place between the plants and the fungi; or is it so that plants simply associate with those fungi that are available at the location where they grow? In this research project, we will answer these questions using both direct field observations as well as experiments. The results will help to understand how species survive under different environmental conditions, such as the study species Alpine bistort in both mild low-altitude conditions and harsh
high-altitude conditions.
high-altitude conditions.
Principal Investigator
Primary responsible unit
Follow-up groups
Profiling area: School of Resource Wisdom (University of Jyväskylä JYU) JYU.Wisdom
Free keywords
Bistorta vivipara, Alpine bistort, community ecology, evolutionary ecology, symbiotic networks, altitudinal gradient, local adaptation, plasticity, common garden experiment, fitness, selection, DNA barcoding, genome wide association analysis
