A roadmap to predicting associations between ectomycorrhizal fungi and host plants
department or school: Science, Irving K. Barber Faculty of (Okanagan)
department or school: Biology, Department of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Mañé Duarte, María de la Paz
issued: 2025-05-22T15:55:15Z
issued: 2025
related degree: Master of Science - MSc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic associations with plant roots, playing essential roles in ecosystem function. As obligate symbionts, understanding their ecology and biogeography requires knowledge of fungal-host associations. However, current knowledge of host compatibility remains inadequate due to extremely limited and taxonomically biased sampling, and methodological inconsistencies. The slow pace of new discoveries and data limitations hinder our ability to map and predict fungal-host relationships. Models for predicting potential associations between parasites and hosts have been applied successfully, but have yet to be considered for predicting potential mycorrhizal associations. In this thesis, I present a roadmap for predicting ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi-host associations. I first review existing knowledge and key gaps, including challenges in sampling, taxonomic biases, and uncertainties in mycorrhizal classification. I then explore ecological, phylogenetic, and functional factors that shape fungal-host relationships, assessing the strengths and limitations of available data sources for these predictor themes. Additionally, I evaluate predictive modeling approaches, comparing their suitability for EM associations based on data requirements, performance, and interpretability. By outlining key considerations for method selection and data integration, this roadmap provides a foundation for more systematic and informed approaches to uncovering fungal-host associations. Ultimately, it could accelerate the discovery of novel EM partnerships, refine sampling strategies, and contribute to fungal conservation efforts in a changing environment.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/91171
note: A ROADMAP TO PREDICTING ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ECTOMYCORRHIZAL FUNGI AND HOST PLANTS by María de la Paz Mañé Duarte B.S., Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, 2021 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Biology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) May 2025 © María de la Paz Mañé Duarte, 2025 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, the thesis entitled: A roadmap to predicting associations between ectomycorrhizal fungi and host plants submitted by María de la Paz Mañé Duarte in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Biology Examining Committee: Dr. Jason Pither, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, Biology Supervisor Dr. Melanie Jones, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, Biology Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Laura Grieneisen, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, Biology Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Michael Noonan, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, Biology Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Rebecca Tyson, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics University Examiner iii Abstract Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic associations with plant roots, playing essential roles in ecosystem function. As obligate symbionts, understanding their ecology and biogeography requires knowledge of fungal-host associations. However, current knowledge of host compatibility remains inadequate due to extremely limited and taxonomically biased sampling, and methodological inconsistencies. The slow pace of new discoveries and data limitations hinder our ability to map and predict fungal-host relationships. Models for predicting potential associations between parasites and hosts have been applied successfully, but have yet to be considered for predicting potential mycorrhizal associations. In this thesis, I pres…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-09
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0448924
language: eng
degree discipline: Biology
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Pither, Jason
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/91171