Hi mushfam! On 4/1/24, we’re having a professor from the Salk Institute speak to us about the symbiotic relationship between plants and their arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi friends — make sure to join us!
April 1st Speaker: Lena Maria Müller, PhD
**Special Location! 1395 Park Center Drive, Vista, CA**
6:45pm Identification
7:00pm Lecture and Q&A
Bio: I am an assistant professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. My background is in plant biology, with a focus on plant-microbe interactions. Specifically, my lab studies mutualistic plant interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. In this symbiosis, plants benefit through increased mineral nutrient uptake and resilience to abiotic and biotic stress, whereas the fungus obtains carbon products from the host plant. We investigate the signaling pathways that allow plants to ensure an optimal balance between carbon costs and the nutrient benefits provided by the fungus. Because ˜80% of all land plant species can engage in a symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, it has important implications for the global carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycle, as well as agricultural sustainability.
