- News from Lincoln University –
There are tiny beneficial fungal colonies growing beneath our feet, supporting plant productivity by acquiring nutrients and water in the soil. Our farming systems could be harming them.
Nicole Parnell is working to find out if that’s the case. She’s observing how three different grazing regimes affect the fungi at Mount Grand Station. Her research could help high country farmers move away from fertiliser use and support more resilient farming.
Nicole is studying the Master of Natural Resources Management and Ecological Engineering. She’s learning how we can create a more resilient, sustainable future through a better understanding of ecology and resource management. She even spent a semester in Vienna as part of her studies.
She shared her research in Lincoln University’s Three Minute Thesis competition, where postgraduate students are challenged to explain the importance of their work within a strict timeframe. Nicole won the prize for Best Master’s Student.
The fungi she is focused on are called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, or AMF. It’s a type of symbiotic fungi found all over the world in our soil. It plays an important role in supporting our native tussock grasses, but the invasion of exotic grasses has led to huge loss in AMF communities.
AMF – tiny and invisible to the naked eye – does a big job, especially in the high country. It helps improve nutrient and water availability for plants to use making them more drought and stress tolerant. It also helps resist erosion by secreting sticky mucus which holds soil together.
It’s an important fungus to understand, which is why Nicole is comparing AMF communities across three different areas, each running a different grazing regime. The first is sheep and beef, the second is only sheep and the third was historically grazed by sheep but is now ungrazed.
She will see if fungal communities change to understand how grazing influences the belowground networks.
“It’s all about how the animals interact with the plants. Sheep and beef have very different grazing behaviours.
“Sheep are quite selective. They nibble down quite low to the ground. Beef are less selective and have a larger sweeping motion.
“That shapes the plant communities we see on top. Any plants that sheep aren’t eating can outcompete the others. Grazing has an indirect effect on the belowground communities.
“Tussock grass communities are being completely invaded by exotic grasses and we’re seeing a big loss in abundance. Once it’s gone, it’s not really something we can get back. So how can we manage what we have left and protect it while supporting a productive system for our farmers?
“If we can let them know what’s going on underground, then they can make more informed management decisions.”
Source: Lincoln University
