About the project
Rhododendron is destroying natural habitats across the UK and efforts are required to better control and manage its spread. This project will ask: How are rhododendron plants impacting belowground diversity and functions and will that get worse under climate change?
Invasive non-native species directly costs the UK economy £4 billion per year, with £614 million attributed to forestry (Eschen 2023). Rhododendron ponticum is an invasive species currently choking native forests. Through directly shading the understory, R. ponticum diminishes plant biodiversity, and it produces grayanotoxins against herbivory, which can harm some animals and impact pollinator interactions.
The broad goal of this project is to understand how rhododendron interacts with the environment, with an emphasis on processes belowground (i.e. roots, microorganisms, and soil functions), and how this could change under climate change (i.e. stress due to temperature and drought).
The student will ask the following questions:
- How does rhododendron shape microbial diversity and soil microbial functions (e.g. decomposition and biogeochemical cycling)?
- When native plants interact with rhododendron, does it alter their belowground communication?
- Do rhododendron exudates give it a competitive microbial advantage over native plants?
- How does climate stress alter the aforementioned biotic processes?
In this interdisciplinary project, you will have the opportunity to develop skills in several different disciplines, including
- microbiology
- ecology
- bioinformatics
- plant physiology,
and you will engage with the CASE partner to develop additional skills in ecosystem conservation and working with stakeholders. You will carry out projects in the laboratory, in the greenhouse, and in the field (New Forest).
The project is expected to identify additional mechanisms that rhododendron deploys to reshape ecosystems, particularly in a changing climate, and ultimately to develop further control measures to minimise the spread of rhododendron in UK forests.
As well as Dr William King, and Professor Mark Chapman, you will also be supervised by organisations other than the University of Southampton, including
- Izzy Williamson from The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
