Identification and Comparison of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Soil Microbiomes Between American Chestnuts and Surrounding Hardwoods
Disciplines
Forest Biology | Other Genetics and Genomics | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Background/Questions/Methods
Around 1904, with the introduction of the Chinese chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica,) native American chestnut (Castanea dentata) populations were decimated. In this study our goal is to provide new insights into mechanisms that may enhance blight resistance in Castanea dentata through the understanding of the interaction between the trees and their surrounding soil microbiome.
For this we 1) used oral history and maps generated by the American Chestnut Foundation to document/confirm the location of individual specimens in our vicinity; 2) among individuals found, documented healthy versus blight infected individuals; 3) characterized putative differences in the soil microbiome with distance to infected and non-infected individuals, as well as between chestnut plants and hardwood neighbors.
Soil samples were collected 1m north of the base of each chestnut tree and 1m from the base of one hardwood tree within 5m of the chestnut and aligned to one cardinal direction. DNA was extracted from soil samples using commercially available DNA extraction kits and outsourced for sequencing. DNA analysis is organized by genus in order to identify the species of fungi and other microbes that are present in each sample.
Results/Conclusions
Thirty-two individual wild American chestnut trees have been identified for potential study, with a subset of six mature trees used for this study. Soil DNA extractions are currently underway to examine metagenomics of taxa present in the soil microbiome around the mature Castanea dentata trees. Of the thirty-two known trees, one is currently known to be infected with Cryphonectria parasitica.
Keywords
Microbiome
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Cryphonectria parasitica
Chinese chestnut blight
Castanea dentata
American chestnut
Metagenomics
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Paula Jackson
Identification and Comparison of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Soil Microbiomes Between American Chestnuts and Surrounding Hardwoods
Background/Questions/Methods
Around 1904, with the introduction of the Chinese chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica,) native American chestnut (Castanea dentata) populations were decimated. In this study our goal is to provide new insights into mechanisms that may enhance blight resistance in Castanea dentata through the understanding of the interaction between the trees and their surrounding soil microbiome.
For this we 1) used oral history and maps generated by the American Chestnut Foundation to document/confirm the location of individual specimens in our vicinity; 2) among individuals found, documented healthy versus blight infected individuals; 3) characterized putative differences in the soil microbiome with distance to infected and non-infected individuals, as well as between chestnut plants and hardwood neighbors.
Soil samples were collected 1m north of the base of each chestnut tree and 1m from the base of one hardwood tree within 5m of the chestnut and aligned to one cardinal direction. DNA was extracted from soil samples using commercially available DNA extraction kits and outsourced for sequencing. DNA analysis is organized by genus in order to identify the species of fungi and other microbes that are present in each sample.
Results/Conclusions
Thirty-two individual wild American chestnut trees have been identified for potential study, with a subset of six mature trees used for this study. Soil DNA extractions are currently underway to examine metagenomics of taxa present in the soil microbiome around the mature Castanea dentata trees. Of the thirty-two known trees, one is currently known to be infected with Cryphonectria parasitica.
Keywords
Microbiome
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Cryphonectria parasitica
Chinese chestnut blight
Castanea dentata
American chestnut
Metagenomics