BioBlitz Final Report: Evaluating the diversity of endophytic fungi associated with perennial plants of Saguaro National Park
Arnold E. 2012. BioBlitz Final Report: Evaluating the diversity of endophytic fungi associated with perennial plants of Saguaro National Park
Fungal endophytes comprise one of the most diverse and ecologically important groups of plant-symbiotic microbes, yet the scale of their diversity, host affiliations, and taxonomic composition in the Sonoran Desert have not been studied in detail. We proposed a taxonomic inventory of fungal endophytes inhabiting four common plant species in the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park. This effort provides a first insight into the richness, host specificity and local distributions of endophytes in SNP and will contribute to an ongoing regional study of the same host species in sites outside the Park. Our research activities consisted of field collections for isolating endophytes from 118 individual host plants along three transects in the King Canyon Trail area and four transects near the Red Hills Visitor Center; characterization of community-, host, and soil characteristics for each collection; isolation of endophytic fungi on two media and under two incubation temperatures; preparation of vouchers of each strain for deposition in a permanent biodiversity collection; identification of each strain using morphological and molecular analyses; and analyses to test core research questions outlined in our proposal.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Arnold, Elizabeth
- Date of Issue
- 2012
- Units
- SAGU
- Keywords
- Bioblitz, endophyte, fungi, Saguaro National Park