Sample interview questions: How do you approach designing and implementing experiments to study the ecological roles of fungi?
Sample answer:
Approaching Experimental Design and Implementation for Ecological Fungal Roles Study
1. Define Research Objectives:
Clearly articulate the specific ecological roles of fungi to be investigated, such as their influence on decomposition, nutrient cycling, or symbiotic relationships.
2. Design Field Experiments:
* Plot Establishment: Establish experimental plots with varying fungal treatments or manipulations (e.g., fungal inoculation, fungicide application) and control plots.
* Sample Collection: Collect periodic samples from all plots, including soil, litter, vegetation, and fungal fruiting bodies.
* Data Collection: Measure relevant ecological parameters (e.g., decomposition rates, nutrient availability, plant growth, fungal abundance and diversity).
3. Conduct Laboratory Experiments:
* Controlled Environments: Simulate specific environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, moisture, substrate composition) in growth chambers or incubators.
* Isolation and Manipulation: Isolate fungal strains from field samples and manipulate their growth and interactions with other organisms (e.g., mycorrhizal inoculation, competition experiments).
* Physiological and Biochemical Analyses: Measure fungal growth, enzymatic activities, and metabolite production to assess their ecological functions.
4. Employ Molecular Techniques:
* DNA Sequencing: Identify and characterize fungal species and their genetic diversity.
* Gene Expression Analy… Read full answer