Descripción del proyecto
Una mirada más cercana a la conservación de las orquídeas en el Mediterráneo
Las orquídeas figuran entre los grupos de plantas más amenazadas por el cambio climático. Sin embargo, han desarrollado asociaciones simbióticas con hongos edáficos para crear nuevos ejemplares a partir de semillas. El proyecto FORECAST, financiado con fondos europeos, llevará a cabo, en Australia, un estudio exhaustivo de las relaciones simbióticas de las orquídeas araña, un grupo cuya conservación preocupa mucho en los hábitats mediterráneos de Australia, con sus socios fúngicos. El proyecto combinará experimentos moleculares, de campo y fisiológicos, para ofrecer un sistema modelo que prediga la respuesta de las orquídeas al cambio climático y la resiliencia de estas simbiosis en entornos deteriorados y naturales. FORECAST desarrollará nuevas estrategias para las acciones de conservación de orquídeas que hay en curso en ambientes mediterráneos.
Objetivo
Compounded by habitat fragmentation and the pervasive impact of climate change, biodiversity, particularly in global biodiversity hotspots, faces an uncertain future. Orchids, among the most threatened plant groups in the world, have symbiotic associations with soil fungi in order to establish new individuals from seeds. Yet this important interaction between orchids and fungi is poorly understood in the context of rapid environmental change. The FORECAST project will provide a detailed investigation into the symbiotic relationship between a high profile orchid group of high conservation concern in Mediterranean habitats in Australia, the spider orchids, (genus Caladenia) and their fungal associates, using a combination of molecular, field, and physiological experiments. This will be used as a model system to predict the response of orchids to ongoing climate change and the resilience of these fungal symbioses in degraded and natural environments. Subsequently, during the incoming phase, the project will transfer the skills and perspectives learned from the outgoing phase and focus on members of European orchid Anacamptis in the Mediterranean. The fellowship will be hosted by Prof. Michael F. Fay at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew with a two year outgoing period at the Curtin University of Western Australia under the supervision of Prof. Kingsley W. Dixon, one of the world’s leading experts in the field of orchid ecology and conservation. I will learn state-of-the-art techniques for the study of orchid mycorrhizal fungi in Australia and transfer them to one of world’s leading botanic gardens and conservation centres, RBG Kew. This work will be facilitated by ongoing collaborations with the University of Naples Federico II. The ultimate goal of the FORECAST project is to develop new multi-faceted strategies for ongoing orchid conservation in Mediterranean habitats under climate change, thereby uniting conservation approaches in both Australia and Europe.
Ámbito científico
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologymycology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological behavioural sciencesethologybiological interactions
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
TW93AB Richmond
Reino Unido