CLIMATE AND EARTH
SYSTEM SCIENCES
Photo: UHH/Denstorf
29 February 2024
Photo: Hannah Russell
Hannah’s thesis titled “Effects of temperature and phosphorus availability on arbuscular mycorrhiza in sycamore maple trees in the forest floor” was supervised by Prof. Dr. Ina Meier (Universität Hamburg) and Dr. Anis Khokon (Universität Hamburg).
Forests are a vital part of the global carbon cycle, but their underground biomass is often overlooked. Roots not only absorb nutrients from the soil and have high turnover in terms of carbon, but also serve as hosts for the trees’ symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi. Her thesis investigated the effects of temperature and phosphorus availability on the arbuscular mycorrhiza of sycamore maple trees in German forests. Temperature was found to have a more significant effect, with a stronger mycorrhizal presence found at lower temperatures as well as intermediate phosphorus levels. Since mycorrhiza are vital to the health of forests, these results and future research are important to consider in the face of global change.
Hannah’s future plans are to pursue a PhD in the field of ecological or land surface modelling.