Event

Abstract: Fungi are integral components of all ecosystems and interact in some way with every species on Earth. These interactions have profound consequences, as fungi take on roles as obligate mutualists, deadly pathogens, essential carbon cyclers, and antibiotic factories. Despite the importance of these roles, we understand little about the factors that determine if, when, and how fungi will interact with other species. Employing multiple fungal study systems, I use interactions among fungi, their hosts, and their surrounding communities and environments to shed light on the ecology and evolution of symbiosis and competition. Using a combination of multi-omics, bioinformatics, and organismal experiments, I investigate how fungi switch onto new host taxa, the genetic and environmental factors that support or destabilize mutualism, parasitism, and pathogenicity, and how mutualists balance the competing needs of host-symbiosis and defense.

Website: http://www.LotusLofgren.com