Underground Explorers

Our project aims to understand how fungal communities bounce back in restored tropical dried tropical forest in El Salvador (Central America). Dried tropical forest are one of the most endangered ecosystems in the Neo-tropics due to their suitability for agriculture and urban expansion. However, in El Salvador, several patches of forest have resurged in the last 30 years as a result of changes in land use. The outcome of this process is a mosaic of restored forest with different ages. We will sample soil in these forests and, will determine whether the changes in vegetation match changes in fungal communities across these patches.