INTER-SPECIFIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HOSTS, EPIPHYTIC ORCHIDS AND PHYTOSTIMULANT MICROORGANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR ROOTS, IN NATIVE ANDEAN FORESTS OF THE PROVINCE OF AZUAY

DEFORESTATION AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM CAUSES NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN BOTH HIGHER ORGANISMS AND MICROORGANISMS. THE KNOWLEDGE GAPS ON INTER-SPECIFIC RELATIONSHIPS OF BIOLOGICAL ORGANISMS IN ANDEAN TROPICAL ECOSYSTEMS ARE ADDED. TO GENERATE SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION THAT HELPES MANAGE AND CONSERVE FLORIST RESOURCES (NATIVE TREES AND ORCHIDS), THIS RESEARCH IS PROPOSED WITH THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES: 1) DETERMINE ASSOCIATION PATTERNS BETWEEN HOSTS (TREES, PALMS AND FERNS) AND EPIPHYTIC ORCHIDS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ANDEAN NATIVE FORESTS; 2) DETERMINE THE COMPOSITION AND DIVERSITY INDEX OF THE COMMUNITIES OF MICROORGANISMS THAT COLONIZE THE ROOTS OF EPIPHYTIC ORCHIDS; 3) ISOLATE PHYTOSTIMULANT MICROORGANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ROOTS OF EPIPHYTIC ORCHIDS, CHARACTERIZE THEM AND IDENTIFY THEM USING MOLECULAR METHODS AND 4) DETERMINE THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF THE MICROORGANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ROOTS OF EPIPHYTIC ORCHIDS ON THE GERMINATION OF THE ORCHID SEEDS AND IN VITRO DEVELOPMENT. METHODOLOGICALLY, FOR THE FIRST OBJECTIVE, A FLORIST INVENTORY OF HOSTS AND EPIPHYTIC ORCHIDS IN ANDEAN FORESTS IS PROPOSED. FOR THE SECOND, IT IS PROPOSED TO COLLECT ROOTS OF EPIPHYTIC ORCHIDS, EXTRACT AND PURIFY FROM THEM THE MICROBIAL METAGENOME (BACTERIA AND FUNGI) TO DETERMINE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RHIZOSPHERIC COMMUNITIES USING MOLECULAR METHODS. FOR THE THIRD OBJECTIVE WE PROPOSE TO ISOLATE FUNGI AND BACTERIA FROM THESE SAME ROOTS AND CARRY OUT THEIR CHARACTERIZATION AND IDENTIFICATION THROUGH MOLECULAR METHODS TAKING DNA AS INPUT. FOR THE FOURTH OBJECTIVE, ORCHID SEEDS WILL BE GERMINATED IN VITRO TOGETHER WITH STAINS OF FUNGI AND BACTERIA, PREVIOUSLY ISOLATED AND IDENTIFIED. THEY HAVE THE COLLABORATION OF PHD LAWRENCE W. ZETTLER FROM ILLINOIS COLLEGE AS A SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR. LOCALLY COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS ARE THE MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ETAPA. THE PROJECT HAS A TWO-YEAR EXECUTION SCHEDULE AND REQUIRES FINANCING FROM THE DIUC OF $36,970.

XIV RESEARCH PROJECT COMPETITION