Soil fungi play a critical role in forest ecosystems, as they are a key component in nutrient cycling, and so their reactions to changes in the environment are of great interest. Because pH is considered a master variable in ecosystems ecology, and the pH of ecosystems can be affected by anthropogenic sources such as acid rain, this study specifically aimed at discovering how forest fungi respond to varying pH in their environment. The pH of soils in northern hardwood forests is generally low (3.5-4.5); therefore, I predicted that soil fungi would grow best in low pH conditions, and tested this by comparing fungal growth in pH 3, 4, or 5 media. On average fungi in pH 4 and 5 groups performed better than their pH 3 counterparts. However, the response was highly variable in a species-dependent manner; some species clearly performed better at higher pH values, while others seemed to show no effects. It is likely that different species vary in their tolerance to pH changes in their environments, and that changes to ecosystems brought about by climate change will impact the relative abundances of fungal species in hardwood forests. This research experience has been invaluable to me as a future researcher, as I have been able to learn the process of designing and executing an experiment as well as solving difficult problems when they arise in research settings. Through this project, I have been able to gain a better understanding of how research works and have built experience that I will be able to use in future research.
Author(s): Stephen Kopcho
Advisor(s): Melany Fisk, Biology
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