The role and maintenance of diversity in a multi-partner mutualism : trees and ectomycorrhizal fungi
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The tree of life is filled with examples of multi-partner mutualisms, in which one guild of organisms interacts with one or multiple other species for mutual benefit. How are these multi-species mutualisms maintained, and what is the functional role of species diversity within them? To address these questions, this dissertation uses the ancient mutualism between trees and ectomycorrhizal fungi. Partnerships between trees (primary producers) and fungi (decomposers) are of great ecological significance because they link two fundamental ecosystem processes. I use field surveys, experimental manipulation, and mathematical models to explore the maintenance and function of fungal diversity. My dissertation highlights the importance of spatial heterogeneity (e.g., in edaphic conditions or in host plants), temporal heterogeneity (e.g., seasonal patterns in resource availability), and species interactions (e.g., host investment and competition among fungi) to the maintenance of fungal diversity. In turn, the diversity of fungal taxa has functional implications, from the ability of host trees to meet nutritional needs in stressful environments, to the increased growth of seedlings partnered with competitively dominant fungi, to the ability to efficiently gather fluctuating resources. These results have implications for our understanding of the maintenance of species diversity, the evolutionary stability of mutualisms, and the individual and ecosystem significance of metabolite exchange.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2014 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Moeller, Holly Villacorta |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Biology. |
| Primary advisor | Fukami, Tadashi, 1972- |
| Primary advisor | Vitousek, Peter Morrison |
| Thesis advisor | Fukami, Tadashi, 1972- |
| Thesis advisor | Vitousek, Peter Morrison |
| Thesis advisor | Arrigo, Kevin R |
| Thesis advisor | Peay, Kabir |
| Advisor | Arrigo, Kevin R |
| Advisor | Peay, Kabir |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Holly Villacorta Moeller. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Biology. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2014. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2014 by Holly Villacorta Moeller
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC-ND).
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