Abstract Detail

Poster Session

Deaver, Noland [1], Porras-Alfaro, Andrea [1], McCravy, Kenneth [1], Kuske, Cheryl R [2].

A survey of entomopathogenic fungi from a temperate forest soil.

The goal of this study is to explore the diversity of entomopathogenic fungi in soils from a temperate forest. Entomopathogenic fungi are defined as fungi that can parasitize insect hosts. Past research on these fungi has focused on applications of the genera Metarhizium, Beauveria, and Cordyceps as biological control agents of insects, and as such the diversity of entomopathogenic fungi outside of agroecosystems is poorly explored. This study seeks to address two objectives: 1. Establish culture collections of entomopathogenic fungi. 2. Compare the diversity and distribution of these fungi in the forest floor, in A to C soil horizons of a temperate pine forest (Duke Forest, NC). Sterilized insect parts were placed in moistened soil as baits to isolate fungi. Fungi were isolated from insect segments on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar and were identified by sequencing the ITS rDNA region. The fungi currently identified represent two phyla: Ascomycota and Zygomycota. In Ascomycota, Fusarium in the order Hypocreales and Aspergillus in the order Eurotiales were commonly isolated. Isolates from Zygomycota are represented by Mortierella. Sequence data will be compared with environmental sequences from three soil horizons, and bioassays will be conducted to test entomopathogenic activity of the isolates.

1 - Western Illinois University, Biological Sciences, 372 Waggoner Hall, 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL, 61455, USA
2 - Los Alamos National Lab, Enviornmental Microbiology, P.O. Box 1663 , Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA

Keywords:
entomopathogen
Forest
duke
fusarium
mortierella.

Presentation Type: Offered Paper - Poster
Session: P7
Location: Lincoln Room/Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center
Date: Monday, June 9th, 2014
Time: 8:00 PM
Number: P7005
Abstract ID:172
Candidate for Awards:Graduate Student Poster Presentation Award