This project comprised two experiments focused on understanding the interactions between native and exotic plant species in Aotearoa New Zealand. The first experiment was an observational study conducted in the Cass Mountain Research Area, Canterbury, to quantify fungal biomass in native plants and assess how nearby exotic species might influence this fungal presence. Leaf samples were collected and analysed, with fungal structures counted using a method adapted from the grid-intersect technique, typically applied to mycorrhizal fungi. Additionally, some leaves were cultured to identify the fungal species present. 

The second experiment was a greenhouse study investigating the impact of phylogenetic distance between introduced and native plant species on disease symptoms and plant growth. Native plant seedlings were grown in soils influenced by a gradient of plant species to observe variations in plant biomass and disease expression.