FORECAST · Quantifying the impact of climate change on orchid mycorrhizal symbiosis in Mediterranean biodiversity hotspots
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2022-04-01 → 2025-03-31
- EU contribution
- €277,940
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Quantifying the impact of climate change on orchid mycorrhizal symbiosis in Mediterranean biodiversity hotspots
Studying the factors that limit where organisms live is a key goal of ecology and evolutionary biology. This is important because changes in the climate will likely change how species interact and where they can live. FORECAST is looking at a big question: will these interactions between species change because of climate change, and how can we manage them to stop species from dying out? Orchids are some of the most at-risk plants also because they rely on other organisms, including pollinators, and special fungi in the soil that help them grow. We know that fungi in the soil usually help plants deal with tough conditions, but we do not know much about how each kind of fungi works, or how well they can handle changes in the environment. Recognizing their pivotal role in orchid germination, Orchid Mycorrhizal Fungi (OMF) have the potential to significantly influence the distribution and persistence of orchids. Simply put, without OMF, orchids would cease to exist in their natural habitats. Despite the growing exploration of plant interactions with other organisms, there is still much to learn about the biotic and abiotic factors that shape the composition of this microbiome, particularly in the context of the impact of climate change on mycorrhizal fungi. In the face of the sixth mass extinction, understanding how communities, including fungal symbionts, will respond to environmental changes is essential. Thus, this study, focusing on orchid interactions with mycorrhizal fungi in Mediterranean habitats in Australia and Europe, promises to serve as a model for conservation efforts, leveraging knowledge of crucial biotic interactions.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
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.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS KEW · RichmondCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
- CURTIN UNIVERSITY · PerthAustralia
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union