The theoretical basis of my project is a study (using a very small sample size) of optimal fungal growth. Fungus plays an extremely important role in the ecosystem as decomposers and is essential for the growth of most plants. Fungus contributes to the carbon cycle and also can live in symbiosis with plants and plant roots. In terms of human use, we use fungus for lots of food products and if you’ve ever heard of penicillin, it was the first mass-produced antibiotic thanks to the Penicillin fungus!
Climate change is changing many aspects of an ecosystem’s gradient. Fungus can be very sensitive to changes in moisture, soil pH, sunlight, etc. My project looks at a hardier fungus (the turkey tail) to see if even such a tough fungus can be affected by different environmental gradients (specifically sun exposure). As time goes on, we will continue to see changes in the environment due to climate change and the affects these changes have on the ecosystem. Potentially, these change drivers could eventually see a major affect on fungi which could be devastating for regional ecology.
Three keywords that I would use to describe my research project would include: climate change, ecosystem, turkey tail.
