Contact
Research:
We are working on the evolution, ecology, and systematics of
lichen-forming fungi. A particular interest is microevolution of
lichen-forming fungi and our focus is on Peltigeralean lichens. We are
also studying gene expression under different experimental conditions
including heat stress, using large Peltigera and Lobaria lichens as a
model which are well suited to experimentation. Important to our work is
the generation of new genomic resources for lichenized fungi and their
photobionts, which create the foundation for further studies. Our
ecological work focuses on dispersal and species diversity of fungi in
mountainous forests and lowland grasslands, and the results of this work
is of great interest to conservation.