Differential utilisation of phosphorus by plants in species-rich grassland and its response to drought

This project will determine i) how preferential utilisation of specific forms of inorganic and organic phosphorus contributes to the maintenance of plant diversity in species-rich grassland, ii) how mycorrhizal fungal colonisation facilitates differential phosphorus utilisation, iii) the extent to which carbon allocation to mycorrhizal fungal mycelium regulates phosphorus utilisation, iv) how interactions among coexisting plants and mycorrhizal fungi in species-rich grassland feed back to regulate phosphorus acquisition and turnover, and v) how these interactions and P acquisition strategies are regulated by drought. The project will make use of two highly complementary field sites in the UK and Australia. One is located at Colt Park, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (managed by Natural England) and the other is a regenerating pasture grassland at the UWS Hawkesbury campus in Western Sydney. The project will provide experience in a range of cutting-edge techniques, and both laboratory and field based research. The student will become part of a multi-disciplinary team and will spend at least 1 year in Sydney, Australia.