PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #80: Plant Ecology .
Presiding: G. Platenkamp
Thursday, August 8. 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Grand Ballroom West, Radisson.
Using molecular tools to determine plants' sphere of influence belowground.
Moore, Lisa*,1,2, Field, Christopher1, 1 Carnegie Institution of Washington, Stanford, CA2 Stanford University, Stanford, CA
ABSTRACT- Plant roots play many important ecological roles. However, our understanding of belowground processes has been limited by a general inability to distinguish roots of different species. DNA sequencing allows ecologists to identify individual roots, but this technique cannot be used when root samples contain more than one species. We describe a method that identifies taxonomic groups within mixed-species root samples, by taking advantage of interspecific length and sequence variation in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of DNA. Using examples from California's annual grasslands, we discuss how this technique can advance our understanding of belowground patterns and processes.
KEY WORDS: root distribution, ITS region, grassland