For the
past several years, undergraduate members of this lab have been working both during
the school year, as well as during the summer months to assess the endophyte
communities of Bouteloua gracilis (blue
grama), a native North American range grass.
Our previous research identified some of the common fungal endophytes
present in the roots of blue grama, as well as in the roots of several other
plant species which co-inhabit with it in the McKenzie Flats region of
Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.
In May
and June of 2008, Dr. José Herrera and three undergraduates (Douglas Eudy, Hana Khidir, and Kelsey Vaughn) collected root samples of Bouteloua
gracilis (blue grama, an important forage grass) from five locations—Ojuelos, Jalisco, Mexico; Janos, Chihuahua, Mexico; Sevilleta
National Wildlife Refuge near Socorro, NM; Wind Cave National Park near Hot
Springs, SD; and Grasslands National Park near Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada. Using molecular and
traditional (culture-based) techniques, we are assessing the root-associated fungal
(RAF) communities inhabiting the secondary
roots of this common forage grass. We hope to gain insight on the variability
of the RAF communities along this latitudinal transect as well as identifying primary
fungal species that may be common to B.
gracilis roots along the extent of the latitudinal gradient and
consequently, may play an important ecological role.
Previous
assessments of B. gracilis secondary
roots revealed numerous coprophilic fungal sequences of several species within
the roots. Consequently, we seek to
determine if dung plays a role in the life cycle or serves as a mechanism in
RAF plant root colonization. Therefore, we are also using molecular and traditional
techniques to assess the microfungal communities within dung samples from Bos taurus,
Antilocapra
