The diversity and ecology of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, belonging to the fungal sub-phylum Glomeromycotina, are tremendously important multicellular organisms in terrestrial ecosystems as about 75% of all land plants rely on this symbiosis. In spite of this, we have very limited overview of the diversity and distribution of AM fungi in Norway. This is because AM fungi do not produce aboveground structures and because it is a very challenging task to determine AM fungi through microscopy of spore morphology. Moreover, the commonly used DNA-barcoding region for fungi (ITS) is not suitable for AM fungi. However, long-read DNA sequencing methods coupled to phylogenetic inferences now provide the opportunity to obtain more reliable information about the occurrence and distribution of AM fungi, as well as better species delimitations. By long-read DNA-sequencing of eDNA from a high number of soil and plant root samples collected throughout Norway, we will map the diversity and distribution of this neglected, but ecologically important fungal group.

We would like to recruit MSc-student(s) who will study the diversity of AM fungi in either (a) boreal forest soils or (b) grasslands using long-read DNA sequencing. The work will include fieldwork, DNA-lab work, bioinformatics and statistical analyses.