<< BACK TO PROJECT LIST

Project: 286/2012

Title: An in depth study of the roles of mycorrhizas in the carbon and mineral nutrition of green West-Australian orchids.
Applicant: Wei-Han Lim
Institution: Kings Park and Botanical Gardens Fraser Avenue, West Perth Western Australia

The overall project investigates the roles played by mycorrhizal fungi in carbon and mineral nutrient acquisition of green Western Australian (WA) orchids. Approximately 400 orchid species occur in this region, with an increasing number listed as either as being rare or threatened. The aim of this project, by using some of the more common species (Microtis media, Disa braceata and Pterostylis sanguinea) as representations of the family, is to get a better understanding of the eco-physiological attributes of these plants and in so doing to contribute vital information required for the improved management and conservation of WA’s orchids. This project as a whole will provide a characterisation of the mechanisms that underpin development of selected Australian orchid species from their juvenile (seed germination and protocorm) phases, through to their autotrophic phases.