Perry Lab
Fungal Systematics and Evolution
CURRENT TEAM
Brian A. Perry, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
Dr. Perry has been at CSU East Bay since 2013, and has been studying fungal diversity, systematics and evolution since 1995. In addition to documenting the mushrooms and other fungi of Vanuatu, Hawaii and California, Dr. Perry's lab conducts research on the assemby, dynamics and biogeography of island fungal communities, endophytic fungi of Hawaiian plants, the systematics of Mycena and allied genera and the evolution of fungal bioluminesence.
Jasmine Hain
Graduate Student
Jasmine worked as an independent study student in the lab as an undergraduate, and joined the lab in Fall 2017 as graduate student. Jasmine has been studying the endophytic fungi of the California native pickleweed, Salicornia pacifica, and will be expanding her work on this species for her master's thesis.
John Waters
Graduate Student
For his MSc thesis project, John is using a metabarcoding approach (Illumina MiSeq) to investigate the soil fungal
communities of the rare California endemic plant
Arctostaphylos densiflora (Vinehill manzanita) from Sonoma county.
Harte Singer
Graduate Student
For his MSc studies Harte is investigating the fungal communities associated with sepentine and non-serpentine ecotypes of the native California plant Collinsia sprtiflora. Using next- and 3rd generation sequencing technologies, Harte is examining differences in the fugal community structure of these ecotypes, as well as genome-level differences among fungal taxa shared between these plant populations.
Kyra Robinson
Graduate Student
Kyra joined the lab in Fall 2024, and is currently designing her MSc thesis project. Kyra is a curatorial assistant on the CA Fundis project, and a a co-founder of the CSU East Bay Mycology Club.
Warren Cardimona
Undergraduate Researcher
Warren joined the lab in Fall 2023, and is the curatorial lead on the CA Fundis project. Warren is also a co-founder of the CSU East Bay Mycology Club.
LAB ALUMNI
Alisa Mathewson, M.Sc.
Alisa worked as an independent study student in the lab as an undergraduate, and joined the lab in Fall 2019 as a graduate student. For her MSc thesis project, Alisa is used a metabarcoding approach (Illumina MiSeq) to document the foliar endophytic fungal communities of the rare California endemic plant
Arctostaphylos densiflora (Vinehill manzanita) from Sonoma county.
Erick Baeza, M.Sc.
Erick joined the lab in Fall 2020. For his MSc thesis project, Erick investigated the role of pollinators as potential vectors of fungi, and their influence on community dynamics of the microbiome found in the floral nectar of the parasitic, achlorophyllous plant Sarcodes sanguinea (Snowplant). Erick received his MSc degree in Summer 2024 and is currently working as a research technician in the Chung Lab at the University of Georgia.
Hollie Mickelson. M.Sc.
For her thesis studies Hollie documented the fungal microbiome of the native plant Scoliopus bigelovii (fetid adder's tongue) using
metabarcoding methods. Hollie's project was the first look at the fungi that associate with this rather rare plant in California. Hollie received her MSc in Spring 2024 and is currently working in the biotech industry,
James Morris, M.Sc.
James joined the lab in Fall 2020, after receiving his BSc from Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California. For his MSc thesis research James investigated the degradative properties of native wood rot fungi on Eucalyptus globus as potential means of biocontrol. The results of James' research identified several species that show promise as a natural means of controlling Eucalyptus stump re-sprouts. James received his MSc in 2023 and is currently working as a Park Ranger for the County of Marin.
Jonathan del Rosario, M.Sc.
Jonathan was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow working with Dr. Perry on his project to document the macrofungi of Tafea Province, Vanuatu. Jonathan joined the lab in 2015 an an undergraduate research assistant, and as a graduate student in Fall 2016. For his MSc thesis project Jonathan completed a monograph on the geus Pluteus from Vanuatu. Jonathan received his MSc degree in 2021, and is currently working in the biotech industry.
Sean Swift, M.Sc.
Sean was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow working with fungi that live symbiotically within the leaves of the native Hawaiian plant genus Scaevola, a relatively small genus for which the evolutionary history and geographic distribution have been well characterized. Sean completed his MSc degree in 2016, and is currently pursuing a PhD in the Nelson Lab at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Brian Clauss
For his thesis studies Brian
investigated the genus Alnicola (Basidiomycota, Agaricales, Hymenogastreaceae) from California. In addition to preparing a monographic treatment of the genus for the state, Brian was also investigating hypotheses of host specificity and gene flow among montane and coastal Alnicola populations.
Susan Hensen
Susan used a metagenomics approach to investigate soil fungal diversity associated with different forest habitat types at Pepperwood Preserve, located northeast of Santa Rosa, California. Susan is currently on a leave of absece from the graduate program, but we are hopeful that her results will provided a window into the macro- and micro fungal community structure, function and diversity in these habitats.
Devin Schaefferkoetter
Devin investigated the macrofungal diversity at Pepperwood Preserve, located northeast of Santa Rosa, California. His research focused on documenting and comparing the macrofungal communities present in the Douglas fir, Oak woodland, and mixed evegreen habitats of the preserve.