More than any other group of eukaryotic microbes, fungi are essential biological components of the global carbon cycle. Collectively, fungi are capable of degrading almost any naturally occurring biopolymer and numerous human-made ones. The use of fungi for the continued benefit of humankind, however, requires an accurate understanding of how they interact in naturally and…

Serpentinization is the aqueous alteration of ultramafic rocks, characteristic of the Earth’s mantle, and results in the generation of highly-reducing, hydrogen- and methane- rich fluids with extremely high pH’s (commonly greater than 11). Microbial communities hosted within serpentinites may be important mediators of carbon and energy exchange between the deep Earth and the surface biosphere….

Populus is considered the model organism for the study of woody perennials, and represents the first tree genome to be fully sequenced. Populus is also one of only a few species that are capable of establishing associations with both arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi, as well as various specific endophytic and rhizosphere associated…

The Amazon rainforest plays an essential role in global ecological processes. It is the largest terrestrial carbonsequestering ecosystem in the world, controlling global temperature and precipitation, and balancing the flux of atmospheric gases. It is also the largest repository of plant and animal species on Earth. Despite its importance, it is one of the least…

While most basidiomycetes are difficult to cultivate in the laboratory, Coprinopsis cinerea is a notable exception in that it can complete its life cycle on artificial media in just two weeks. The C. cinerea genome is well-characterized, and both forward and reverse genetic approaches are now standard, allowing enormous scope for experimental manipulation in this…

Thermophilic fungi have been an important source of industrial enzymes for decades but research and development efforts have historically focused on the identification and characterization of cellulolytic genes from just a few strains. This approach has produced advanced enzymes over time, but recent genomics-based investigation has almost instantaneously yielded a diverse palette of novel, thermostable,…

Peatlands harbor up to one third of the world pool of soil carbon and are estimated to be responsible for as much as 20 percent of the global emission of the greenhouse gas methane.  Sequencing the metagenome and metatranscriptome of peat soil, and in particular, the rare peatland Desulfosporosinus species, as well as potentially novel…

The study of wood breakdown into simple sugars is an important field of research due to its possible application in biofuel production. Developing S. commune as a model system to study the processes of wood degradation would allow researchers to study roles of enzymes in a fungus for which exist many protocols for studying genes…

Serpentinization is a common process that is extremely important for transporting water towards the mantle and for fixing large amounts of carbon as carbonate rocks. The Cedars Peridotite is a site in Northern California where active serpentinization occurs, resulting in spring waters that are so extreme that no current paradigms of microbial metabolism are compatible…

The project aims to sequence the genomes of 100 strains of the genus Thioalkalivibrio. Members of this genus have an enormous metabolic and genetic diversity. Isolated from various soda lakes around the world, the strains were selected for their industrial relevance in the sustainable removal of sulfur from waste streams and energy carriers, such as…