Obiettivo The Orchidaceae is the most diverse family of angiosperms with an estimated number of over 24,000 species. It has long been believed that co-evolution with pollinating animals has played an instrumental role in the unparalleled diversification of the Orchidaceae. Many orchid species, however, are generalists with respect to their pollinators. Because the availability of a suitable mycorrhizal fungus is crucial to orchid establishment, it has recently been suggested that diversification might also have been driven by irregular fungal distributions, combined with high mycorrhizal specificities.Evidence for this hypothesis is still lacking, and at present, very little is known about the nature and specificity of orchid-mycorrhizae associations. Most studies so far have reported high specificity and single-species associations. However, from an ecological point of view high specificity and single-species associations are puzzling and it is unclear whether the reported results might be biased by methodological issues.The general aim of the proposed study is to reveal the potential role of mycorrhizal associations in orchid diversification. More specifically, I want to elucidate the nature and specificity of orchid-mycorrhizae associations, to investigate the availability of orchid mycorrhizae in natural populations and to study the role of mycorrhizal associations in acting as a post-mating reproductive barrier. To this end, I will apply, for the first time, multiplex assays that can detect several fungi simultaneously.The study will be conducted across the whole distribution area of 21 species of the genus Orchis. I will test for mycorrhizal specificity and investigate evolutionary trajectories of orchid-mycorrhizae associations. Advanced spatial point pattern analyses combined with seed baiting techniques will be used to detect spatial variation in fungal availability in natural populations. Campo scientifico natural sciencesbiological sciencesevolutionary biologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologymycology Programma(i) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Argomento(i) ERC-SG-LS8 - ERC Starting Grant - Evolutionary, population and environmental biology Invito a presentare proposte ERC-2010-StG_20091118 Vedi altri progetti per questo bando Meccanismo di finanziamento ERC-SG - ERC Starting Grant Istituzione ospitante KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN Contributo UE € 1 499 800,00 Indirizzo OUDE MARKT 13 3000 Leuven Belgio Mostra sulla mappa Regione Vlaams Gewest Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Arr. Leuven Tipo di attività Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Ricercatore principale Hans Jacquemyn (Dr.) Contatto amministrativo Stijn Delauré (Dr.) Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Costo totale Nessun dato Beneficiari (1) Classifica in ordine alfabetico Classifica per Contributo UE Espandi tutto Riduci tutto KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN Belgio Contributo UE € 1 499 800,00 Indirizzo OUDE MARKT 13 3000 Leuven Mostra sulla mappa Regione Vlaams Gewest Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Arr. Leuven Tipo di attività Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Ricercatore principale Hans Jacquemyn (Dr.) Contatto amministrativo Stijn Delauré (Dr.) Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Costo totale Nessun dato