We are developing several projects focused on mycorrhizal symbiosis. If these seem interesting, please get in touch! If you are an undergraduate looking for research experience in the lab, please fill out this form so we can get in touch the next time we have an opening.
Can gene expression in Douglas fir roots show us how beneficial a fungal partner is to the plant? We are harnessing RNA sequencing techniques to examine how plant and fungal gene expression changes in more and less beneficial symbiotic interactions. In the short term, this will help us understand what processes a symbiotic fungus can help with, and the mechanisms by which the plant and fungus negotiate a symbiosis; longer-term, this project will build tools so we can assess symbiotic function in mature, field-collected tree roots.
Ectomycorrhizal fungi are known to help trees access nutrients and water, but they can also change the hydraulic properties of a root system and stress the trees under very dry (or very nitrogen-polluted) conditions. We are undertaking several projects to explore this landscape of symbiotic stress, with the goal of understanding what kinds of mycorrhizal partners are helpful for trees under stressful conditions, and how likely trees are to be able to find or cultivate relationships with appropriate fungi as conditions change.
Can plants reward helpful fungi with sugar and fats, and deny harmful fungi space on the root system? To what extent do different fungal species, or different numbers of fungi, or their spatial arrangement, change these dynamics? We will use stable isotope enrichment to track carbon from plants into fungi, and soil resources like nitrogen from fungi into plants.
We are developing several projects that will involve characterizing the diverse microbial communities that inhabit roots and soils, and understanding how they change through time and space. These projects will involve sampling soils in the field, amplifying barcode regions of the microbial DNA, and analyzing the communities we find. (Check back soon for more specifics -- we are developing these now!)
