Our study systems include lichens, matsutake and other forest fungi, terrestrial arthropods, and aquaculture environments. We combine field survey, culture, omics analysis and taxonomic description.
We use the term symbiosis in its broad sense. It covers commensal and antagonistic associations as well as mutualisms.
Working across distantly related hosts lets us separate host-specific phenomena from patterns that recur across symbioses.
QUESTIONS
Diversity and taxonomy of symbiotic organisms
We collect in the field, isolate and culture microbes, and describe new species using morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidence. We also sequence genomes and check how far published sequence data can be trusted.
Function and ecological context of symbiotic interactions
We examine what hosts and microbes do to one another using culture experiments and community analysis. The same association changes with climate, season and habitat, so we follow those changes as well.
Origin and evolution of symbiosis
We trace how symbiotic organisms diverged and spread, using phylogenetics, population genetics and genomic data.
STUDY SYSTEMS
Lichen-forming fungi, their photobionts, and the endolichenic fungi that live alongside them
How bacteria and microfungi of the fairy ring promote or suppress Tricholoma matsutake growth
Mycorrhizal and forest fungal communities, species description, genomes, and data reliability
Fungi of terrestrial isopods, spiders and insects, and microbial communities of aquaculture systems