Objectif Highly diverse communities of endophytic fungi ― fungi that colonize plant tissues without causing symptoms of disease ― live cryptically in all higher plants ranging from mosses to flowering plants. While knowledge of the biodiversity and biogeography of endophytes is rapidly increasing, the mechanisms that maintain their diversity and control their dispersal among plants in natural ecosystems are widely unknown. Specifically the concerted functions of mutualistic and antagonistic plant-insect interactions on endophyte diversity and dispersal are little understood. In a comparative approach using myrmecophytes (ant-plants) and closely related non-myrmecophytic plant species, the function of defending ants as well as insect pollinators and herbivores on endophyte dispersal will be analyzed in a Peruvian lowland tropical rainforest. This study will be the first ever to examine the dispersal ecology of fungal endophytes among plants while considering the function of mutualistic and antagonistic insects in a natural ecosystem. Applying next generation sequencing of endophytes from plant and insect samples collected at the study site together with isolating living endophytes for morphological and molecular characterization will permit the novel analysis of environmental and evolutionary factors influencing the diversity and community composition of these cryptic organisms. This project will use state of the art techniques in molecular community ecology and dispersal modeling and will address important questions of wide relevance for general distribution mechanisms of fungal endophytes. The proposed research will be combined with high quality training in population genetic and phylogenetic methodology, provided by world leading experts in these areas. Champ scientifique natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologymycologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsnatural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicsmathematical analysisfunctional analysisnatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyentomologynatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesphysical geography Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Thème(s) FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF - Marie Curie Action: "International Outgoing Fellowships for Career Development" Appel à propositions FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF Voir d’autres projets de cet appel Régime de financement MC-IOF - International Outgoing Fellowships (IOF) Coordinateur UNIVERSITEIT GENT Contribution de l’UE € 238 840,40 Adresse SINT PIETERSNIEUWSTRAAT 25 9000 Gent Belgique Voir sur la carte Région Vlaams Gewest Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen Arr. Gent Type d’activité Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Contact administratif Saskia Vanden Broeck (Ms.) Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Coût total Aucune donnée