PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #25: Mycorrhizal Fungi and Root Processes.
Tuesday, August 6. Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. Exhibit Hall B & C, TCC

Investigating the effects of climate change on AM fungal dynamics in a Colorado subalpine meadow.

Alter, S.^*,1, Harte, John^1,2, ¹ Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Berkeley, CA² Energy and Resources Group, Berkeley, CA

ABSTRACT- AM fungi are important components of terrestrial ecosystems and may influence ecosystem response to global climate change. We examined the effects of a long-term climate manipulation experiment in a Colorado subalpine meadow on AM fungal dynamics. Infection on the roots of four perennial plant species (Artemesia tridentata, Erigeron speciosus, Festuca thurberi and Helianthella quinquinervis) was assayed using staining and grid-counting techniques. Infection was found to differ between plant species (with lowest percent infection found in Artemisia tridentata), and was significantly negatively impacted by soil warming. Fungal diversity was assayed using molecular methods (RFLP), and was not found to differ between warmed and control plots.

KEY WORDS: AM fungi, climate change