Mari Irving

Education

• Bachelor of Science (2020), Biology, University of Central Florida
• Master of Science (2024), Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara

Biography

Mari has studied the impacts of temperature and host plant suitability on lepidopteran physiology and development. Check out her interview at Science IRL about her past work with sunflowers!

Mari is also a Smithsonian Scholar Graduate Mentor for the UCSB - Smithsonian Scholars Program. 

Research

Mari is interested in endophyte composition of native and nonnative milkweeds and their effects on the monarch life cycle.

Awards & Honors

• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2022-25)
• Regents Fellowship in Discipline (2021-22)
• Coastal Fund Minor Grant (2021)
• Coastal Fund Major Grant (2022) with Joanna Tang
• Sonoma County Mushroom Association Scholarship (2021)

Selected Publications

Oono, R., Chou, V., Irving, M. 2024 How do phytophagous insects affect phyllosphere fungi? Tracking fungi from milkweed to monarch caterpillar frass reveals communities dominated by fungal yeast. Environmental Microbiology Reports 16 (3), e13213. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.13213