Previously, most fungi that one encountered in nature needed to be either found in their sexual states or cultured in ordered to be identified. Now many can be characterized directly from environmental samples via their nucleic acids. This breakthrough makes it a particularly exciting time to work in the field of fungal ecology because it is now possible to ask many simple and important, but previously unaddressable questions. My lab initially focused much effort on development of molecular methods for the identification of ectomycorrhizal fungi. With these tools now in hand we are beginning to dissect the complex structure of naturally occurring communities of ectomycorrhizal fungi.
P rojects Four main projects are currently being undertaken in the lab.
The project on ectomycorrhizal ecology is the largest of the four. The primary goal is to understand the structure and function of ectomycorrhizal communities. At our field sites in Point Reyes National Seashore and the Sierra National Forest we are investigating species changes associated with season, soil depth, host, root disturbance, detritus enrichment, and prescribed burning. We are also investigating clonal size and long term fruiting patterns of selected species. The rust fungi are a particularly interesting group because they are all obligate parasites and many alternate between two unrelated hosts to complete their life cycles.