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Investigating Plant Biodiversity and Soil Microbial Diversity for Sustainable Ecosystem Management

This project aims to explore the relationships between plant biodiversity, soil microbial diversity, and ecosystem processes through an integrated approach. The use of microbial diversity and plant functional traits as indicators of sustainable ecosystem management will be experimentally tested. The expected results include predicting ecosystem responses to changing conditions, a better understanding of soil biodiversity functions, and contributions to sustainable soil and ecosystem management.

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Investigating Plant Biodiversity and Soil Microbial Diversity for Sustainable Ecosystem Management

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  1. FP7-ENV-2010- INFODAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2009, BRUSSELS Area 6.2.1.4 Biodiversity Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTA) Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna

  2. Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna (UNIBO) http://www.unibo.it UNIBO is one of most active Italian universities in research and technology transfer. It ranks second in Italy for competitive research funding from the Italian Government. To date, UNIBO is involved in 70 projects of the FP7. Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTA) - Faculty of Agriculture http://www.dista.unibo.it DiSTA is one of the largest Departments of UNIBO in budget and staff, with expertises in: Agronomy, Crop Science, Plant Biodiversity and Applied Ecology, Microbiology, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Agricultural Chemistry. DiSTA has two modern farms with experimental facilities and more than 50 ha for field researches. Prof. Maria SPERANZA, responsible of the proponent group of DiSTA-UNIBO maria.speranza@unibo.it http://www.unibo.it/docenti/maria.speranza Maria SPERANZA is full professor of Environmental and Applied Botany

  3. THE STAFF of the proponent group • Prof. Marco BOSCO, Associate professor of Soil Microbiology • Dr. Lucia CONTE, Researcher of Systematic Botany • Dr. Christine PICARD, Researcher of Soil Microbiology • Dr. Lucia FERRONI, Research Assistant of Environmental and Applied Botany • Dr. Giuseppe PRITONI, Field Technician • ONGOING RESEARCH ACTIVITIES • Biodiversity of plant species and plant communities; Biodiversity and plant functional traits; Soil and rhizosphere microbial biodiversity, community structure by cost-effective metagenome analysis; Nitrogen fixation in forests. • INVOLVEMENT IN PREVIOUS PROJECTS • QLIF Quality Low Input Food - EU FP6, http://www.qlif.org (M. Bosco) • TOPICS OF INTEREST - Area 6.2.1.4 Biodiversity • The DISTA-UNIBO group is interested in joining a consortium on the topics: • ENV.2010.2.1.4-1 Functional significance of forest biodiversity • ENV.2010.2.1.4-4 Increasing the understanding of the role of soil biodiversity in ecosystem functioning

  4. ECO-REGION • The Emilia-Romagna territory (Italy) is situated in the Continental Biogeographic Region, at its edge with the Mediterranean Region. The Emilian plain hosts many small relicts of forests, merged in a typical intensive agriculture landscape (see ENV.2010.2.1.4-1). • OBJECTIVES OF THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY • To investigate the complex relationships among plant biodiversity (aboveground communities), rhizosphere microbial diversity (belowground communities)and ecosystem processesthrough a full integrated approach. • To experiment the use of microbial (AMF and N-fixers) diversity and dynamics, jointly with diversity and dynamics of the plant functional traits, as cost-effective indicators of sustainable management of ecosystems and soils. • EXPECTED RESULTS:1) Prediction of the ecosystem responses to changing management and climatic conditions (ENV.2010.2.1.4-1); 2) A better understanding of the functions of soil biodiversity (ENV.2010.2.1.4-4); 3)Contribution to a sustainable management and use of soil jointly with a sustainable management and use of the whole ecosystem (ENV.2010.2.1.4-1 & ENV.2010.2.1.4-4)

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