FESIN 2008 - ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA MEETING
Please Note: We will post workshop talks as we receive them. To see individual talks, scroll down to the speaker you are interested in.
ESA WORKSHOP WK-2: Molecular Tools for Assessing Fungal Biodiversity (August 2)
ESA WORKSHOP WK-10: Sampling Fungi from the Environment (August 3)
ESA ORGANIZED ORAL SESSION: Frontiers In The Ecology Of Plant-Fungal Interactions (August 5 - NOTE DATE CHANGE)
Also of interest to FESIN participants
MSA SYMPOSIUM: Fungal Biodiversity Informatics
ESA WORKSHOP 1 ( SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2008)
MOLECULAR TOOLS FOR ASSESSING FUNGAL BIODIVERSITY
Organizers:
Dr. Jeri Parrent,
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph,
Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
Tel:
519-824-4120 x56009 e-mail:jparrent@uoguelph.ca
Dr. Catherine Gehring, Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-5640, (928)523-9158, e-mail: Catherine.Gehring@nau.edu, .
Dr. Thomas Bruns, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology,
University of California, Berkeley California 94720-3102, (510) 642-7987, email: pogon@berkeley.edu
One of the barriers to inclusion of fungi in ecological research is the difficulty of identifying fungi from environmental samples. FESIN proposes a full day workshop on the use of molecular tools to assess fungal biodiversity. This workshop will target ecologists interested in working with fungi who have limited familiarity with molecular approaches. It will include presentations by leaders in the field and opportunities for discussion and informal interaction to promote collaboration.
MORNING SESSION – INTRODUCTION TO METHODS
8:30 AM Intro
to session
8:45 AM Introduction to major fungal lineages and symbionts
Mary Berbee
9:30 AM
Molecular
approaches for studying fungi in the environment Jeri Parrent (Reference
List)
10:15 AM Coffee
10:30 AM TRFLP acquisition, analysis and interpretation Ian
Dickie
11:00 AM Special problems associated with sampling VA
mycorrhizal fungi Shannon Scheckter
(Handout)
11:30 AM Discussion of general methods
Lunch on your own
AFTERNOON SESSION – CHALLENGES AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES
1:00 PM
Massively
Parallel sequencing Ari Jumponnen
(Reference List)
1:30 PM Illumina-based signature sequencing of forest soil
microbial communities Cedar Hesse
2:00 PM Computer tools used for complex data queries of
sequence databases Jason Stajich
2:30 AM Coffee
2:45 PM Sampling
from the environment - issues regarding spatial scale Ian Alexander
3:15 PM Sampling from the environment - the problem of
hyperdiversity Brendan Bohannan
3:45 PM
Sampling
functional genes in ecological studies Chris Schadt (Reference
List)
ESA WORKSHOP 2 (SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2008)
SAMPLING FUNGI FROM THE ENVIRONMENT – CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS
Dr. Thomas Bruns, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley California 94720-3102, (510) 642-7987, email: pogon@berkeley.edu;
Dr. Karen Hughes, Department of Botany, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1100. (865) 974-2256, e-mail: khughes@utk.edu;
Dr. Betsy Arnold,
Department of Plant Sciences, The
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721,
arnold@ag.arizona.edu;
Dr. Jeri Parrent,
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph,
Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
Tel:
519-824-4120 x56009 e-mail:jparrent@uoguelph.ca
Dr. Catherine Gehring, Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-5640, (928)523-9158, e-mail: Catherine.Gehring@nau.edu
This is a full day workshop
for ecologists with some experience using molecular approaches for
identification of microbes. The goals of the workshop are to highlight the key
challenges of identifying fungi collected in field studies and to work towards
the development of strategies to overcome those challenges. The workshop will
include introductions to the challenges from both ecological and molecular
genetic perspectives and guided discussion among workshop participants to
address the following questions: 1. What are the limitations of rRNA genes and
spacers for identification and what other loci might be used to supplement
them?, 2. How can we precisely, accurately, and efficiently identify and name
environmental sequences of unknown fungi?, 3. What are the gaps in current
sequence databases, and how can we generate data to fill those gaps?, and 4. How
should we curate and organize environmental samples and the data derived from
them? The workshop will include short presentations, guided discussion and the
creation of a draft synthesis of suggested methods.
MORNING SESSION – Questions 1 and 2
8:30 AM Limitations
of current sequence data in fungal taxa and guilds Rytas Vilgayls
9:00 AM Metadata needed for Environmental sequences
Betsy Arnold
9:30 AM Classifying Environmental Sequences - why its
necessary and what needs to be done Tom Bruns
10:00 AM Discussion of sequence Classification/ Data issues
10:20 AM
Coffee
10:40 AM Ideas for Automated identification of fungal OTUs
David Hibbett
11:10 AM Automated classification and ideas for expansion of RDB
to fungal ITS Jim Cole
11:40 AM
discussion
of automated classification issues
12:00 PM Lunch
AFTERNOON SESSION
1:00
AM Fungi as part of an integrated microbial community
Noah Fierer
1:30 AM Nanotechnological
and molecular approaches for studying fungal activity
Kathleen
Treseder
2:00 AM
Multilocus identification of environmental samples - How can we move
beyond rDNA loci and maintain and organismal focus?
Discussion
2:30 AM Coffee
2:45 AM FESIN steering committee meeting
ESA ORGANIZED ORAL SESSION: FRONTIERS IN THE ECOLOGY OF PLANT-FUNGAL INTERACTIONS
This session represents a synthetic approach to understanding the state of the field, and future directions, in fungal ecology. The diversity of speakers will address complementary but distinct areas of research, and will help to bridge the gap between ecologists and fungal biologists. As an oral session at the 'frontiers' of fungal ecology, we hope to showcase innovative and original work, and at least one presentation will specifically refer to work conducted in collaboration with a Native American Tribal College.
ORGANIZER
Elizabeth Arnold
Department of Plant Sciences
University of Arizona
Department of Plant Sciences
Tucson, AZ 85721
Phone Number: 520-621-7212
Email: arnold@ag.arizona.edu
Moderator
Jeri L. Parrent
Department of Integrative Biology
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
Phone: 519-824-4120 x56009
Email: jparrent@uoguelph.ca
Ecology of Plant-Pathogen Interactions in the Context of Global Change Bitty A. Roy, University of Oregon
The Influence of Nitrogen Deposition on Fungal Decomposition in Forest Communities
Ecological Consequences of Three-way Symbioses: Plants, Fungal Endophytes, and Viruses Regina S. Redman, Montana State University
Bacterial Endosymbionts Within Fungal Endosymbionts: Consequences for the Ecology of Plant-Fungal Interactions Elizabeth Arnold, University of Arizona
Mutualists As Invaders: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Anne Pringle, Harvard University
The Role of Plant Root Architecture and Functional Diversity among Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Plant-pathogen-mycorrhizal Interactions Ben Sikes, University of Guelph
Biogeography, Temporal Variation, and the Ecology of Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Communities Ian Alexander, University of Aberdeen
What does rRNA Teach Us About Fungal Ecology? Ari Jumpponen, Kansas State University
Two additional slots to be filled by Program Chair