Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Microbial Biology for FY 2002

Hoeksema, Jason D, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Microbial Biology for FY2002. The fellowship supports training and research on the basic biology of protozoan, microalgal, fungal, archaeal, bacterial and viral species that are not generally considered to be model organisms. Further, it provides opportunities for a recent doctoral recipients to obtain additional training in microbial biology, to gain research experience under the sponsorship of established scientists, and to broaden his/her scientific horizons beyond the research experiences during the undergraduate and graduate training. These fellowships are further designed to assist new scientists to direct their research efforts across traditional disciplinary lines and to avail themselves of unique research resources, sites, and facilities, including foreign locations. The research and training plan is entitled "Does coniferous forest plant community composition influence the evolution of host specificity in mycorrhizal fungi? We have little understanding of spatio-temporal variation in the interactions of mycorrhizal fungi with their host plants. This research investigates the impact of large-scale variation in plant community composition in the Pacific Northwest on the evolution of host specificity of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the genus Rhizopogon.