Speaker: Assoc. Prof Jonathan Plett (Western Sydney University) “Translating the Language of Mycorrhizal Fungi”
We are privileged to have A/Prof Jonathan Plett from the Western Sydney University Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment address our July monthly meeting on the topic of how fungi communicate with their host plants. Jonathan will tell us about his research to identify the protein signals that coordinate symbiosis between soil-borne mycorrhizal fungi and plants and importantly to understand the function of these signals. He will compare two interactions: the mutualistic symbiosis between Pisolithus and Eucalyptus and the pathogenic symbiosis between Armillaria and Eucalyptus. By comparing these two systems, he will conclude with his current theories upon how mycorrhizal fungi may communicate differently with their hosts than pathogens and how perception of these different fungal “languages” by the plant impacts the ultimate fate of the interaction. The outcome of this research will be a better understanding of the biological mechanisms used by fungi that ultimately benefit plants that can be leveraged in future to mitigate the negative effects associated with climate change.
Observations: Members and visitors are invited to share their interesting observations at the meeting. Please email any photos to illustrate your report as JPEG file(s) to Jill Williams (jilliwill33@gmail.com) by noon on the day of the meeting.