Projects

Project 1: Exploring fungal ecology and biodiversity throughout Armenia; an international collaboration between biologists of Armenian descent Armenia is a small country situated within the biodiversity hotspot of the southern Caucasus Mountains of Western Asia. Armenian ecoregions consist of Caucasus mixed forests and Eastern Anatolian mountain steppes, which the World Wildlife Fund has determined to be “critical and endangered” (World Wildlife Fund). This status indicates that the region’s biodiversity urgently needs both intensive research and protection. This includes fungi, which are severely understudied compared to plants and animals. Millions of species of fungi remain undescribed around the world, and even more questions remain about the intricacies of fungal ecology. Because fungi are understudied worldwide, and Armenia has been home to a low proportion of that research, we aim to describe new fungal species, translate key indigenous ecological descriptions, and accrue data for answering critical ecological and evolutionary questions. All researchers involved in this project are ethnically Armenian and descendents of genocide survivors. As a historically oppressed and colonized country, Armenia and the biodiversity contained within, will benefit tremendously from scientific investment.

Project 2: Oak Mycorrhizae: Analysis of fungal community composition on oak species in collections at the Holden Arboretum (Kirtland, Ohio) and the Yerevan Botanical Garden (Yerevan, Armenia)

Mycorrhizal fungi grow on and within a host plant’s roots, extending into the soil to absorb nutrients. Additionally, mycorrhizal fungi protect trees from root herbivory, improve disease resistance, and increase drought tolerance. The diversity of these fungi is fundamentally important to host plants, including oak species. This research explores mycorrhizal fungi growing on oaks acclimated in two temperate regions. Holden Arboretum and Yerevan Botanical Garden will collaborate to sample roots from oak species at both gardens to compare their mycorrhizae. We will investigate whether habitat differences select for mycorrhizal fungi at the species level, and if the composition of these fungi differs significantly when the same tree species is acclimated in different temperate climates. Our goal is to contribute to global oak conservation by providing data on tree-fungus interactions, as soil biotic composition may be important to the success of trees in collections outside their native range.

Project 3: Khatchkar Lichen Biodiversity in Armenia:

Project 4: Bioinformatics in Armenia: As technology becomes more complex while also reducing in cost, biologists have been able to access deeper understanding of their systems.