Research Interests
I am interested in understanding the communication between arbuscular mycorrhiza and Nicotiana attenuata and the consequences of the mycorrhizal infection for the plants’ fitness in its natural environment. A broad variety of fungi from the phylum Glomeromycota , so-called arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, establish symbiotic relationships with most herbaceous plants in ecosystems all over the world. It is generally thought that the fungus receives carbon from the plant in exchange for improving the plant’s phosphorous nutrition. However, the interaction between the two partners goes far beyond a simple exchange of nutrients; AM infection can influence a plant’s defense and competitive ability, perhaps mediating the exchange of nutrients between different genotypes and taxa of plant, alter the behavior of pollinators and, consequently influence interactions important to the assembly of communities. We use Nicotiana attenuata and Rhizophagus irregularis as model organisms to examine alterations in gene expression and signals from the plant that mediate the interaction between the fungus and the plant, and how the fungus influences the performance of the plant. Using a transgenic line that does not get infected by AM (irCCaMK) we have a tool at hand to study the importance of mycorrhiza in the plant's native habitat.
Current students
Nabin Pahari (MSc student): SuperSAGE analysis of the interaction between Nicotiana attenuata and Rhizophagus irregulare. Ali Nawaz (MSc student): Fungal endophyte community analysis of N. attenuata plants grown in their native habitat in Utah. Nam Nguyen (internship) |
