Jean Weber

Hi,

I am developer of the pericopsis.org website. I currently teach biology at the “Universiti Putra Malaysia”.

My field of research is “ectomycorrhizal ecology”. Ectomycorrhizas are specific symbiotic association between the roots of trees and fungi. In this partnership trees are providing sugars to the fungus and in return the fungus helps the tree to get water and to uptake recycled nutrients from the soil. The Southeast Asian dominant dipterocarpaceae tree family is ectomycorrhizal and therefore suspected to have a special role in lowland rainforests. Dipterocarpaceae that encompass among the largest and most magnificent trees in the world are now endangered.

Citizen science and collaborative actions offer new perspectives to improve tree conservation in man-made environments and to raise awareness about the importance of protecting their natural environments.

Jean