Plant Ecology Laboratory
Research in our lab focuses on diversity patterns in biological communities, and on the interactions underlying these patterns. The main questions we address are: how do communities vary along natural gradients and gradients of human impact? What are the major assembly rules shaping communities; and are they attributable to biotic interactions or environmental heterogeneity? What are the roles of different biotic interactions - including competition, facilitation, herbivory and symbiosis - in structuring communities? Read more
News archive - October
New paper addressing the effects of AM fungi on plant community
October 2012
Several members of Plant Ecology Lab published one of the first papers addressing the effects of AM fungi on plant community composition and seedling growth in natural ecosystem. Results of the field experiment demonstrated that suppression of AM fungi can lead to changes in community composition when soil fertility is high and inhibit seedling growth when soil fertility is low. The role of AM fungi on plant communities therefore seem to depend on soil fertility. Read more.
Visiting PhD students
October 2012
Visiting PhD students Sara Varela Cervero and Gabriel Grilli are working in our team in October and November. During their stay with plant ecology laboratory they are supervised by Maarja Öpik.
Sara studies diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in semiarid environments in Sierra de Baza Natural Park in Spain. Her supervisor is Dr. Conception Azcon-Aguilar (Estacion Experimental del Zaidin, CSIC, Granada, Spain).
Gabriel studies diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a fragmented landscape of Chaco forest district in Central Argentina. His supervisor is Dr. Carlos Urcelay (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina).
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