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Exploration of the soil biota associated to Casuarinaceae trees from tropical ultramafic areas.

Objective

Pioneer plant species native to tropical ultramafic areas can be useful tools for the restoration of ultramafic soils degraded by nickel mining activities.
Casuarinaceae trees are well known for its capacity to grow on nutrient-poor areas. This is possible thanks to multiple adaptations, including the formation of actinorhizal symbioses with nitrogen-fixing Frankia actinobacteria. Members of the genera Gymnostoma and Ceuthostoma (both from Casuarinaceae) colonise degraded ultramafic soils and promote the recovery of soil fertility. However, they produce high amounts of slow-degrading litter which (among other effects) reduce the colonisation by other plant species.
The project CASUABIOTA is intended to improve our knowledge of soil biota associated to Casuarinaceae from ultramafic areas of SE Asia. The project has two main objectives: 1) to advance our knowledge about Casuarinaceae-associated frankiae and its tolerance to nickel, and 2) to obtain insights about the composition of Casuarinaceae litter and the organisms involved in its degradation, with a special interest in earthworms and saprophytic fungi.
To accomplish these objectives, a sampling campaign aimed at plants, litter, root nodules and earthworms will be performed in ultramafic areas from Sabah State (N of Borneo, Malaysia). Collected material will be subjected to different analyses (litter composition, earthworm barcoding, soil fungal metabarcoding) and two manipulative experiments on litter degradation will be performed on vermireactors and on mesocosms.
Expected results include the identification of Ni tolerant Frankia strains, the assessment of litter effects on the composition of soil fungal and earthworm communities and the optimisation of a biological method to accelerate the degradation of Casuarinaceae litter.
This knowledge will ease the use of Casuarinaceae for the restoration of tropical Ni-mine spoils.

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019

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Coordinator

UNIVERSIDAD DE VIGO
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 259 398,72
Address
LG CAMPUS LAGOAS MARCOSENDE
36310 Vigo Pontevedra
Spain

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Region
Noroeste Galicia Pontevedra
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 259 398,72
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