| PROJECTS |
| 21-07275S Czech Science Foundation 2021 - 2023 |
|
Arbuscular mycorrhizal microbiomes – structure, dynamics and functioning
Participants: JJ, HH, PB, MK, MR, ML
|
| 21-07247S Czech Science Foundation 2021-2024 |
|
Recycling arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal necromass in soil - mechanisms and functional significance
Participants: HH, JJ, TŘ, MK, MR, ML
|
| 23-04690S Czech Science Foundation 2023-2025 |
| Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis and soil nitrification - extent and mechanisms of the interaction |
| Participants: JJ, HH, MR, STF, DS |
| Former projects of the different group members and publications produced in the different projects can be found elsewhere: https://www.rvvi.cz/ |
| RESEARCH TOOLS |
A new glasshouse (built 2011) offers a floor space of 75 m2, is temperature controlled and equipped with supplemental lights (18 discharge tubes, 400 W each, 6500 K light temperature) providing up to 30 klux of light flow to extend the photoperiod and/or compensate for low natural light intensity. Light intensity can also be experimentally reduced by removable shade tents.
Three growth chambers (each about 1 m2 experimental area) offer more precise temperature and light controls than the glasshouse.
Standard molecular biology lab allows for DNA and RNA extractions from plant, microbial and soil samples, PCR amplification, electrophoresis and cloning. This facility is further compounded with in-house qPCR (Roche Lightcycler 480) and pyrosequencing units (Illumina MiSeq), ultracentrifuge for processing stable-isotope probing samples, as well as other on-campus services (electroporation, Sanger sequencing, RFLP fingerptinting etc).
Several stereo- and compound microscopes including cameras are available in the lab. More special equipment (fluorescent, confocal, two-photon, electron microscopes etc.) is also available on campus.
We maintain extensive collection of soil- and mycorrhiza-related bacteria and fungi, which are grown in both solid and liquid media, and used in various experiments. Our lab has access to all necessary infrastructure (water purification facilities, autoclaves, sterile rooms and benches) within the Institute of Microbiology. There are also several thermostated rooms equipped with shakers of all sizes.
Carbon fluxes between plants, their mycorrhizal symbionts, soil and atmosphere is one of the newer topics in our group. The equipment encompasses large labeling chambers to expose plants to 13CO2atmosphere, CO2 probe (LiCOR) with datalogger, cylinders to separately collect CO2 respired from the rhizosphere and from the shoots, automatic titrator, and a mass spectrometer (see next section).
Isotope ratio mass spectrometer (Delta V Advantage coupled with CNS elemental analyser, pyrolysis unit, gas bench with cryotrap and a gas chromatograph with Isolink furnace) allows for analysis of C, O, N and H stable isotopic composition in solid, liquid and gas samples, as well as in fatty acid and other samples where the individual compounds could be separated on a GC. A precise microbalance is used for weighing solid samples, combined PAL autosampler allows feeding both liquid and gas samples into the instrument.
In 2012, an alliance was formed between the Institute of Microbiology and the Institute of Botany in Průhonice, mainly the Department of Mycorrhizal Symbioses, to strengthen their capacity in mycorrhiza and rhizosphere research, mainly through better exploitation of research synergies. The Institute of Botany contributes its extensive glasshouse and growth chamber space, optical microscopes and binoculars in the Optics Laboratory and other special equipment and facilities (e.g. growth substrate preparation and storage), whereas the Institute of Microbiology offers exclusive access to its unique molecular and stable isotope facilities. This official umbrella is also covering several lab members employed jointly by both institutions |
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