Research

Fungal communities are species-rich and structured based on evolutionary history of its members and ecological interactions with their abiotic and biotic environments. We study these patterns to understand evolution and ecology of fungal species, especially endophytic ones.

Endophytism is only one life stage of the fungus. We explore where and how some of them may sexually or asexually reproduce, especially after insect herbivory.

We examine the evolution and ecology of host-specificity between pines or other conifer needles and fungal endophytes, especially Lophodermium.

We explore how rhizobia that poorly fix nitrogen (relative to the rest of the population) evolve, but appear to not have destabilized this classic mutualism.

Other projects include metabarcoding the seedbank, monitoring chaparral health, and general cryptogamic botany.