Meeting Abstract
The link between mycorrhizae, symbiotic fungi, and their host plants is well documented in many systems. Mycorrhizae provide direct physiological benefits to their hosts and also impact local soil conditions. In some families, such as orchids, the presence of mycorrhizae are critical even at the early stage of seed germination. In Florida, native orchid species are rapidly declining, largely due to habitat loss. The Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Pine Jog Environmental Education Center is using published micropropagation methods to grow and re-introduce native orchids into urban and natural areas across south Florida. As these orchids are re-established, mycorrhizal growth and morphotypes among species and planting conditions are monitored and studied. As a teaching tool, and to establish community activism, orchids are placed in local schools, including FAU’s onsite lab school, A.D. Henderson, for students to propagate, study, and outplant. Students are active partners, cultivating plants and preparing them for distribution into urban and natural areas within their established native ranges. FAU High School students are learning microscopy techniques to quantify differences in mycorrhizal communities and overall plant conditions from orchids transplanted in natural compared to urban locations. These experiments engage students of all ages and expose them to hypothesis testing, experimental design, and propagation techniques. This project also encourages students to interact with the natural environment and consider the ecological consequences of urban development while re-establishing a declining native species.
