| Recent studies have shown that several species of alien, soil-borne pathogens in genus Phytophthora are on upsurge in the forest landscape of southern Sweden. These fungal-like pathogens spread via the international trade in plants and plant parts. They damage the fine roots of trees and young plants, leading to mortality of young seedlings and weakening large trees to attacks by secondary pathogens and pests.
Once the Phytophthora-species have established in the soil or waterways, it is practically impossible to eradicate them. Thus, the subsequent vegetation, whether planted or naturally regenerated, has to cope with the infection. However, in Sweden and globally, experimental research on the post-Phytophthora succession and recovery of biotopes is still scarce, which complicates long-term management plans. More information is urgently needed to understand the trajectories and recovery after Phytophthora-disturbances in different landscapes, such as protected forests where natural regeneration is the main mechanisms of vegetation establishment.
The proposed PhD project will focus on studying the germination and early development of naturally regenerated beech and oak seedlings in forest soils contaminated by Phytophthora. Controlled greenhouse studies are used to collect new information about the impacts of soil Phytophthora-infestation on survival, growth and stress physiology of germinating beech and oak seeds, and field inventories are used to follow up the development of vegetation in affected areas. The results will help to predict the trajectories, and design strategies to restore the affected areas, thus mitigating the negative consequences of Phytophthora on the native biodiversity in the long term. The project is closely linked to two currently ongoing EU-projects on the biology, ecology and management of Phytophthora in Swedish broadleaved forests, and it will be carried out in collaboration with Swedish and international experts in forest pathology, plant physiology and ecology.
The project adheres to the foundation's purposes by providing new knowledge that is needed for sustainable landscape management and protection of native biodiversity against invasive pathogens. |