- Friday, November 22, 2019
- 1:30 PM–2:30 PM
- Science Building 010
Friend? Foe? Or ‘It’s Complicated’? Exploring Common Overlooked Symbioses Between ‘Wild’ Viruses and Native Perennial Plants Guest Speaker: Michael Ryskamp- Michigan State University Friday, Nov. 22nd, 2019 SB010 1:30p - 2:30p
"Friend? Foe? Or ‘It’s Complicated’?" Exploring Common Overlooked Symbioses Between ‘Wild’ Viruses and Native Perennial Plants
Guest Speaker: Michael Ryskamp- Michigan State University
Friday, Nov. 22nd, 2019
SB010
1:30p - 2:30p
Recent geo-metagenomic surveys have revealed that novel 'wild' viruses (non-crop viruses) are relatively common in native and naturalized plant communities. While plant viruses are typically thought of as crop pathogens, these discoveries have prompted hypotheses that wild viruses commonly form mutualistic partnerships with plants in uncultivated landscapes. Despite growing interest in the ecology of this overlooked class of microbes, there has been little to no empirical effort dedicated to characterizing their interactions with native plants. To fill this gap in knowledge, I employ use of a promising model system, Switchgrass mosaic virus, a recently discovered wild virus that infects prairie grasses, and, in Michigan, is commonly found in Panicum virgatum (switchgrass). In this presentation, I will highlight my work as a PhD candidate in the Plant Biology Program at MSU, where I am working in Dr Carolyn Malmstrom’s lab to characterize this plant – virus symbiosis and evaluate the context dependent fitness effects of infection in P. virgatum.
Join us for the final session of the BIO295 "BioSem" seminar for the Fall 2019 semester. We would love to have you join us for the end of this semester!
Location details
Science Building 010- located on the ground floor of the Science Building