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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Biotic And Abiotic Drivers Of Plant Symbionts Determine Plant Performance, The Maintenance Of Diversity, And Response To Global Change, Jeremiah A. Henning
Biotic And Abiotic Drivers Of Plant Symbionts Determine Plant Performance, The Maintenance Of Diversity, And Response To Global Change, Jeremiah A. Henning
Doctoral Dissertations
Interactions among organisms regulate the structure and function of ecosystems and the response of ecosystems to global change. The outcome of species interactions is shaped by the partners involved in the interaction and the climate contexts of the systems in which they reside. Global change is altering the distributions of organisms as well as the climate contexts of the systems they reside within, shifting the biotic and abiotic factors shaping species interactions. Thus, predicting the response of ecosystem structure and function to global change remains unresolved. For my dissertation, I explored how the interactions among plants and their mutualistic communities …
Plant-Microbe Interactions Influence Ecosystem Processes: The Role Of Roots And Mycorrhizal Fungal Hyphae On Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics, Jessica Andrea Moore
Plant-Microbe Interactions Influence Ecosystem Processes: The Role Of Roots And Mycorrhizal Fungal Hyphae On Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics, Jessica Andrea Moore
Doctoral Dissertations
Plant-microbe interactions shape ecosystem processes such as productivity and decomposition of organic matter. Plants interact with mycorrhizal fungal hyphae to acquire nutrients from soil in exchange for plant-assimilated carbon. The mycorrhizal interaction is therefore a key influence on ecosystem carbon dynamics. Mycorrhizal fungi are key players in soil carbon cycling as they stimulate plants to allocate carbon belowground, and mycorrhizal fungal hyphae interact with microbial decomposers of soil carbon. However, there are few studies on mycorrhizal fungal hyphal interactions with roots and soil organisms in light of soil carbon accrual and release, important ecosystem processes. In my doctoral research, I …
Ecological And Evolutionary Consequences Of Genotypic Variation And Indirect Genetic Effects On Plant-Neighbor Interactions, Mark Alan Genung
Ecological And Evolutionary Consequences Of Genotypic Variation And Indirect Genetic Effects On Plant-Neighbor Interactions, Mark Alan Genung
Doctoral Dissertations
Most explanations for community structure exclude the effects of genes above the population level, but recent research suggests that distinct genotypes of dominant plant species can also play important roles in structuring associated communities and influencing ecosystem processes. However, very little is understood about how the outcomes of plant-neighbor interactions are determined by intraspecific genotypic variation and indirect genetic effects (IGEs), which are influences on the phenotype of a focal individual due to the expression of genes in an interacting individual. Using clones of both Solidago altissima and Solidago gigantea, we established two common garden experiments and a decomposition …