Ecology Colloquium Series - Root and fungal exudates: Facultative or fixed
September 28, 2016 @ 01:20 pm
to 02:10 pm
Ismaiel Szink, Penn State
301D Life Sciences
Event Website
The interaction between roots and soil is one of the closest relationships between biotic and abiotic factors in nature. They are able to efficiently forage for nutrients in heterogeneous soils, and are known geologic agents of rock weathering. Yet there is still little understanding about several aspects of this relationship, and root and mycorrhizal fungi exudates are one of these poorly understood aspects. The use of exudates could be optimized based on soil physical, chemical, and biologic properties; or they could be facultative based on the species of plant and fungi present. There are currently few good methods for examining exudates in natural settings, therefore I propose a study to determine the role and use of exudates by roots and mycorrhizal fungi.
Contact
Dr. David Eissenstat
dme9@psu.edu