James earns Graduation with Highest Distinction!
James’s presentation highlighted his research with Ensifer, Pseudomonas, and Paenibacillus root nodule endophytes in Medicago truncatula.
Heath Lab News
New Paper on Host-Host Competition and the Evolution of Mutualism
New paper accepted using evolutionary game theory to model invasibility of mutualist genotypes with varying levels of host-host competition! Find it here!
Sierra joins the lab!
Sierra, who just completed her undergrad at Montana State University, began her doctoral work in the lab in January 2022. She will study plasmid-host coevolution in Rhizobium as part of the GEMS Institute. Welcome!
Heath Lab Christmas Party 2021
The Heath Lab met at Riggs Brewing Company to welcome new members and ring in the end of a long semester with mulled wine and a Christmas market!
New paper on the microbiome of Medicago!
New paper accepted tracking the nodule, root, and leaf microbiomes of the symbiosis model Medicago truncatula across three host genotypes grown in native soils! Find it here!
Symbiosis to reintegrate biology
Two things (or more), living together in close association, and making something special happen that is greater than the sum of its parts. What better topic to bring together an interdisciplinary team working on plants, bees, viruses, bacteria, fungi, and more? We are really excited to launch GEMS: Genomics and Eco-Evolution of Multi-scale Symbiosis – a new NSF Biological Integration Institute with tons of amazing people (here at Illinois, at Indiana U., and U. of Chicago) that I can’t wait to work with. Check out the press release here: https://www.igb.illinois.edu/article/collaborative-team-awarded-125-million-new-nsf-biology-integration-institute
Check out our new website (in the works) here, and the accompanying ad for integrative postdoctoral opportunities here! Students can apply through any relevant graduate program at UIUC, IU, or U Chicago – see the GEMS website or the “join us” page on this site.
Laura Goralka is Highly Distinguished!
Undergraduate researcher Laura Goralka just earned High Distinction in research to put the frosting on her Integrative Biology degree! Laura studied antibiotic resistance variation in natural populations of Rhizobium leguminosarum for her research project. Laura’s next move is graduate school for a master’s program in nursing. Go Laura!
James wins the Spyros Kavouras Summer Research Award!
Congrats to James! He will be studying how rhizobia impact plants when they are not in the nodules!
Jennifer publishes a new paper on wood decomposition!
Jennifer Jones, now a postdoc at Michigan State, has two recent papers out from her dissertation on wood composition in the tropics! You can find one on habitat (water/land) differences here and one on the effects of bark on decay here.
Natalie starts her lab at Louisville!
Natalie Christian started her lab at the University of Louisville in January! She is missed by all, but luckily we get to keep collaborating on the fungal endophytes (like this one) that infect soybean leaves and how they interact with plant physiology, each other, and bacteria!