Perry Lab
Fungal Systematics and Evolution
CURRENT TEAM
CURRENT TEAM
Brian A. Perry, Ph.D.
Associate 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.
Hollie Mickelson
Graduate Student
For her thesis studies Hollie is documenting the fungal microbiome of the native plant Scoliopus bigelovii (fetid adder's tongue), using both metagenomics and traditional culturing methods. Hollie's data will be the first look at the fungi that associate with this rather rare plant in California.
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.
Alisa Mathewson
Graduate Student
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 using 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
Graduate Student
Erick joined the lab in Fall 2020. For his MSc thesis project, Erick is investigating 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).
LAB ALUMNI
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.
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.
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.