Project Details
Projekt
Plant biotic interactions under disturbance in the salt marsh
Applicant
Professor Dr. Dirk Albach
Subject Area
Evolution and Systematics of Plants and Fungi
Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems
Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems
Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems
Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems
Term
since 2018
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 379417748
Plant interactions with microorganisms often provide essential survivalbenefits to plants, especially under stress and disturbance. However,these interactions can also be detrimental to one partner(parasitism/pathogenicity). The factors that influence the outcome ofthe interaction are poorly understood. However, they are important forour understanding of ecosystem changes during disturbances such asextreme weather events related to climate change. In this subproject,we aim to investigate these interactions using a metatranscriptomic approach. This will involve examining in parallel expressed genes ofplant and endophytic microorganisms. These allow conclusions to bedrawn about the function of the microorganisms, especially whencomparing gene expression under different environmental conditions(here hypersalinity). In addition to the trophic interactions of plant andmicroorganisms, the interaction with invertebrates (herbivory) will alsobe investigated and the food web of the salt marsh will inferred inmore detail with the help of a barcode library and an eDNA dataset.The barcode library is necessary because many plants in the saltmarsh show intraspecific genotypic variation or closely relatedspecies and their hybrids co-occur. The importance of such variationto the species composition of a dynamic ecosystem is the secondfocus of the proposal.
DFG Programme
Research Units
