Collaborative Research: PACSP: Integrating fungal biodiversity into oak savanna ecosystem conservation and restoration

About This Grant

Fungi are a diverse Kingdom, with an estimated 2-3 million species, playing essential roles in ecosystem functioning and economic enterprises. Despite the importance of fungi to ecosystems and society, fungal conservation is underdeveloped compared to that for plants and animals, and is challenged by limited data on fungal biodiversity, distributions, and ecological roles. This project will study oak savannas, which are ecosystems that are being lost in the Midwest due to land-use changes and fire suppression. These land use changes have caused a process called "mesophication," where shade-tolerant tree species replace oaks. The loss of oak ecosystems also results in the loss of fungal species that live in these ecosystems. These fungi are critical for keeping ecosystems healthy and balanced because of the role they play in nutrient cycling, litter decomposition, and plant-soil feedbacks. This project will compare the effects of different management practices on fungal biodiversity. Project activities include fungal biodiversity assessments, population genomics, and the development of fungal conservation and restoration strategies. This project will also include undergraduate education in mycology and citizen-scientists in the collection of data. This research is a collaborative effort involving universities, conservation organizations, and citizen scientists aimed to insert fungal conservation into management practices for oak savannas, an endangered and culturally significant ecosystem. This research will use many indicators of fungal diversity including sporocarp surveys, metabarcoding from soil and air samples, and population genomics of key fungal taxa associate with oak savanna ecosystems. Citizen scientists and truffle dogs will contribute to collections, enhancing the project’s reach and impact. Restoration experiments will include mycorrhizal inoculations to assess their role in oak establishment and litter decay microcosms to study fungal contributions to decomposition and soil properties. Data analysis will integrate fungal biodiversity into ecological integrity indices assisted by machine learning to identify fungal indicator species and predict ecosystem health. Through this project we will develop a Fungal Quality Index (FUNQ) to incorporate fungi into ecological assessments and indices, providing actionable recommendations for fungal conservation and oak savanna restoration. By addressing these urgent needs, the project will advance fungal conservation and contribute to the restoration of oak savanna ecosystems. This research will further train the next generation of conservation scientists through hands-on experiences with conservation organizations and research, and will culminate in science-based recommendations and an online repository of data for land managers and policymakers, enhancing evidence-based fungal conservation practices. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.