Michelle E. Afkhami

Species Interactions, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Genomics, Conservation, Microbes, Sustainable Agriculture.

My lab studies the ecology, evolution, and genomics of species interactions at scales ranging from genes to communities using a combination of long term field and greenhouse experiments, mathematical modeling, and laboratory-based molecular methods.

Much of our research is aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying how mutualisms work and integrating these associations into the broader foundations of ecology and evolution.

Some of our current projects investigate:

1. the role of fungal endophytes in plant population persistence across species ranges and in the resilience of communities to wildfires in California,
2. how plant-soil feedbacks impact the demography and conservation of rare species in Florida, and
3. the genomic basis of plant and microbial performance in a tripartite interaction between legumes, rhizobia, and mycorrhizal fungi.