I am very pleased to announce a new project examining the potentially beneficial ecological roles played by oomycetes, or water molds, in the maintenance of biodiversity in an old growth forest near Portland. These are highly destructive fungus-like plant pathogens, best known for causing the Irish potato famine in the 1850’s or for widespread mortality when introduced to forests. Native oomycetes are abundant in forested systems, and yet we know very little about their role in driving the dynamics or diversity of forests. This summer, three students will join the lab as Rogers Summer Science interns to establish a network of long-term seedling monitoring plots in the Wind River Experimental Forest near Carson, WA to assess the interactions between native trees and their pathogens.
This highly collaborative project is funded by a grant from NSF's Dimensions of Biodiversity Program to Lead PI Brett Tyler (Oregon State University) with a sub-award to Lewis & Clark that will fund undergraduate students in a mentored research collaboration for four years. Additional co-PIs Andy Johnson (OSU), Nik Grunwald (OSU), James Lutz (Utah State University), and David Oline (Southern Oregon University), along with their students and post-docs, will examine everything from oomycete genomics and transcripteomics to coevolutionary dynamics of the trees and pathogens
Specifically, Dr. Metz will lead investigations into interactions of oomycetes and seedling dynamics and their potential role in maintaining forest diversity at the Wind River Forest Dynamics Plot. Located in the Columbia Gorge near Carson, Washington, Wind River is a 500-year old Douglas Fir/Western Hemlock forest—one of the few remaining old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. I'm looking forward to having Tessa, Zoe, and Katrina join the lab and help me get this project up and running!
This highly collaborative project is funded by a grant from NSF's Dimensions of Biodiversity Program to Lead PI Brett Tyler (Oregon State University) with a sub-award to Lewis & Clark that will fund undergraduate students in a mentored research collaboration for four years. Additional co-PIs Andy Johnson (OSU), Nik Grunwald (OSU), James Lutz (Utah State University), and David Oline (Southern Oregon University), along with their students and post-docs, will examine everything from oomycete genomics and transcripteomics to coevolutionary dynamics of the trees and pathogens
Specifically, Dr. Metz will lead investigations into interactions of oomycetes and seedling dynamics and their potential role in maintaining forest diversity at the Wind River Forest Dynamics Plot. Located in the Columbia Gorge near Carson, Washington, Wind River is a 500-year old Douglas Fir/Western Hemlock forest—one of the few remaining old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. I'm looking forward to having Tessa, Zoe, and Katrina join the lab and help me get this project up and running!
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