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Effects of Foliar Microorganisms in Native and Exotic Plant Species in Old-Field Communities

Diaz-Starokozheva, Ludmila

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Science in Biological Sciences, Youngstown State University, Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry.
Much is known about the effects of antagonistic and mutualistic soil microorganisms on plant growth, but scant information exists on the effects of foliar microorganisms (i.e., bacteria and fungi that reside on plant surfaces, the phyllosphere). Nearly all studies on this issue investigate foliar microbes or fungi separately, but not both simultaneously, despite the potential for them to interact. Moreover, no one has studied this aspect of plant ecology in temperate zones and, as such, this study provides a significant first step in understanding the potentially complex interactions between plants and the diverse foliar microorganisms that likely inhabit them. By removing fungal and microbial communities on the leaf surfaces of native and exotic old-field plants through antibiotic and fungicide applications, we elucidate the separate and interactive effects of various foliar microorganisms on plant growth under different nitrogen regimes. These factors have the potential to alter competitive hierarchies, and thus, plant community composition as well as invasibility. Specifically, the success of many exotic plants may in part be attributed to their escape of foliar pathogens present in their native range. This "enemy release" hypothesis was explicitly tested by comparing and contrasting the effects of removing some or all of the phyllosphere community on native and exotic plant species, and assessing their subsequent biomass, a measure of their fitness response.
Ian Renne, PhD (Committee Member)
Thomas Diggins, PhD (Committee Member)
Walter Carson, PhD (Committee Member)
31 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Diaz-Starokozheva, L. (2017). Effects of Foliar Microorganisms in Native and Exotic Plant Species in Old-Field Communities [Master's thesis, Youngstown State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1504081276247107

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Diaz-Starokozheva, Ludmila. Effects of Foliar Microorganisms in Native and Exotic Plant Species in Old-Field Communities. 2017. Youngstown State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1504081276247107.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Diaz-Starokozheva, Ludmila. "Effects of Foliar Microorganisms in Native and Exotic Plant Species in Old-Field Communities." Master's thesis, Youngstown State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1504081276247107

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)