Mortierellaceae Functional Diversity in Alpine Ecosystems

This project investigates fungi of the Mortierellaceae family, which are widespread in soils worldwide and play a crucial role in soil development, plant growth promotion, and nutrient enrichment. Mortierellaceae are particularly common in alpine regions but remain largely unstudied. Their contributions to soil formation and their potential to support plant growth through interactions with microorganisms, especially bacteria, could provide valuable insights into alpine soil ecology and applications for sustainable agriculture. The project hypothesizes that alpine habitats contain an undiscovered diversity of Mortierellaceae species shaped by unique soil conditions and vegetation. Furthermore, we assume that specific bacteria interact with these fungi, with partnerships varying by bacterial species. Such interactions may support plant growth and stimulate the production of specialized fatty acids in the fungi, which are crucial for their survival and adaptation in extreme environments. The research involves isolating Mortierellaceae fungi from various glacier forefields in calcareous and siliceous soils and cataloging their diversity through genetic and morphological analyses, potentially identifying new species. Laboratory testing will examine fungal-bacterial interactions and their impact on the growth of the alpine plant Arabidopsis arenosa, using representative fungal strains. Advanced methods like genomics, lipidomics, and transcriptomics will explore the molecular mechanisms and metabolism of these fungi with and without bacterial presence. This interdisciplinary project combines traditional cultivation with modern molecular biology techniques, laying a foundation for developing multi-omics methods to analyze complex biological systems. Ultimately, this project will expand knowledge of Mortierellaceae in alpine ecosystems, help conserve their diversity, and inspire environmentally friendly strategies for soil and plant health approaches particularly valuable in sensitive alpine ecosystems amid global warming.