Bacteria + Viruses + Mycorrhizal Fungi + Plants
The Why
Bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi (i.e., root fungus, where myco = fungus and rhiza = root) constitute more than 90% of soil microbial biomass, drive plant health, shape forest structure, and enhance agricultural productivity. Without these microbes, plants are severely limited in their ability to survive in nature. How bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi interact and partner to support plant growth, however, has received little attention.
Research Mission
Research to date has prioritized bipartite interactions (either bacteria-plant or mycorrhizal-plant). However, my research has shown that interactions between bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, and plants are widespread in nature, impact soil food webs, facilitate pathogen suppression, and determine many plant growth responses in forest and agricultural systems. Our work therefore addresses a critical need in the field by investigating common tripartite interactions and integrating interdisciplinary, field-to-lab experiments and surveys that will help drive fundamental and application-based insights.
The System(s) and Toolkit
We apply field, greenhouse, computational, and molecular/microbiological approaches such as field manipulations, environmental isolations, DNA metabarcoding / microbiome profiling, RNA-seq, Sanger sequencing, functional genetics, meta-analyses, metabolomics, synthetic community modulation, and high-resolution microscopy. Together, these approaches help us to understand how interactions among bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, and plants at the microscopic scales map onto regional scales. Regarding field systems, much of my work has been conducted in temperate forests in the United States (with Bishop pine trees, which are roughly endemic to coastal California and are currently vulnerable according to the IUCN), but our lab is also actively involved in various projects that investigate land-use change and forest mycorrhizal ecology in Tanzania, Brazil, and Spain.