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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity using omics across protected and non-protected montane grassland and shrublands in the Jos, plateau Nigeria
Ikwuakonam George Okoro
Jos Plateau forest-grassland, Nigeria
Cohort:
2024
project abstract
This research intends to determine the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity across the protected and unprotected montane grassland and shrubland of the Jos plateau. The Jos plateau covers about 8600 km2 and is bounded by 300 – 600 escarpments around its boundaries. It has an average altitude of 1280m. Its ecobiome is montane grassland and shrubland that is home to communities of plants and animals from the surrounding lowlands and constitutes the Jos Plateau Forest Savannah mosaic ecoregion. A total of 36 samples will be collected for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) DNA extraction. This will be followed by PCR and amplification of the ITS2 and SSU regions to identify arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from the extracted soil genomic DNA. The rapid barcoding kit 98 V14 (SQK-RBK 114.96) will be used, enabling me to multiplex up to 96 samples. Sequencing will be done using the Illumina MiSeq platform for the metabarcoding samples. The importance of these data to be collected and ideas are to provide the actual representation of the area of study which will also be essential in making informed decisions and accurate inferences concerning the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity and interaction within the area of study. The research findings will be shared through peer reviewed scientific publications and reputable outreach media. My team members include an expert in mycorrhizal study (Soil microbiologist), geographer, final-year student of Forestry and a plant scientist. At the end of the research, we and the local communities will clearly understand the arbuscular mycorrhizal dynamics peculiar to their ecoregion. It will also suggest a suitable guide for restoring and sustaining the mycorrhizal interaction across the unprotected montane grassland and shrubland of the Jos plateau.
Photo by Ovinuchi Ejiohuo on Unsplash