Underground Explorers

Land use types influences the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi. Our project aims at sampling the mycorrhizal diversity in three land use types (natural forest reserve, tree plantation, and grazing grassland) in the Highlands Forests of Cameroon. The area consists of mixed forest and savannah grasslands with some of the highest levels of endemism in the Western Highlands. This area is a biodiversity hotspot of global significance that supports a high diversity of animal and plant species, large numbers with restricted ranges, and many of which are threatened and critically endangered. The natural habitats are encroached on and are shrinking. Research on fungi diversity in this area is limited with few studies. With our team, including landscape ecologists, mycology expert, postdoctoral researcher, PhD and MSc students as well as local community members, we will carryout a field sampling according to SPUN standardized protocol. A total of 30 soil samples and 20 ectomycorrhizal fruit bodies will be collected from three land use types. The ITS region of the DNA and high-throughput sequencing technique of the Illumina MiSeq metabarcoding on nuclear ribosomal ITS2 region will be done. Field sampling and results will be discussed with local communities and conservation groups to reinforce soil conservation in the Bamenda highlands, and the communities will learn more about the importance of mycorrhizal in general. Therefore, the scientific data will be shared with the communities in the Bamenda highlands to speak more loudly about the importance of mycorrhizal networks. This project will add crucial data to the map of fungal diversity in Cameroon, targeting the different land use types where the underground fungi have so far never been explored. The data obtained from this study will not only provide insight on how different land use influences mycorrhizal diversity but also contribute to the conservation and management of these ecosystems, ultimately fostering ecological resilience. The results will provide useful information on key fungal components to be further exploited as indicators in a sustainable ecosystem management perspective.