Howdy Neighbor

NSF Greenhouses, UC Santa Barbara

This three-year microcosm experiment aims to broaden our understanding of the ways in which ectomycorrhizal communities form and function. By varying the seedling species composition and soil conditioning prior to co-planting in a shared “neighbor” pot, we are able to track the changes in fungal species and their role in buffering the experienced stress of a simulated drought in the final stage of the project. This study began in the winter of 2020, just as our university closed down with the pandemic. A year later, seedlings were unpotted and moved to shared pots. More than a year after that, in summer 2022, we began a drought treatment on half of the pots. This project was harvested in March 2023 and is in analysis.

A shared pot in the neighbors stage
A shared pot in the neighbors stage
A peek at the many neighbor pots in the study
A peek at the many neighbor pots in the study
Seedlings growing out in year 1
Seedlings growing out in year 1
Young fir at repotting
Young fir at repotting
Young oak at repotting
Young oak at repotting
Another young fir at repotting
Another young fir at repotting