Biography
Research project
This is my research project
Supervised by:
Research interests
Decomposition of dead plant material in soils is a process of equivalent importance to primary production in ecosystem funtioning, and it is driven partly by saprotrophic (decomposer) fungi. Basidiomycete mycelium is difficult to isolate from soil and litter using conventional culture techniques, recently-developed molecular techniques provide the opportunity to resolve the diversity and distribution of basidiomycete mycelia in soil.
The aim of my project is to characterise the distribution, diversity and function of saprotrophic (decomposer) fungal mycelia in natural ecosystems, using molecular techniques (i.e. DNA extraction techniques). In addition, the effects of pure fungal cultures on the decomposition of diverse types of soil organic matter will be studied.
