dr. SJ (Stephanie) Watts-Fawkes

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are beneficial soil fungi that are widespread in agricultural soils and can colonize the roots of >80% of plants, including most of our important crop species. My interest in AM fungi centers on their contribution to plant and human nutrition, with the aim to use them to produce more safe and nutritious food, in the context of sustainable agriculture.

My current research interests can be addressed by three general research questions:

i) How do AM fungi impact micronutrient bioavailability in grain crops?

I am particularly interested in how AM fungi affect the accumulation of phytic acid in grain. Phytic acid is an “anti-nutrient” for humans, and its concentration in grain is negatively correlated with the ability for zinc and iron to be absorbed in the human gut when we consume cereal and legume foods. AM fungi primarily take up phosphorus from the soil for the host plant, which can lead to greater phytic acid accumulation. But could a increase in phytate be balanced by increased uptake of zinc and iron into the host plant by the fungus?

ii) What role do AM fungi play in the uptake of PFAS by crop plants?

PFAS is an emerging environmental contaminant that bioaccumulates in humans and causes devastating health issues. One of the main ways that PFAS enters the food chain is through application of biosolids to agricultural soils, where it is readily taken up by crops via their roots. Nothing is known about how AM fungi interact with soil PFAS, so I want to find out – do they promote PFAS uptake into the host plant? If so, by what mechanism(s)? Could AM fungi play a role in phytoremediation of PFAS-contaminated soils?

ii) Can AM fungi help facilitate aerobic rice production?

Rice is typically grown in flooded paddies, where the symbiosis with AM fungi not functional. As water resources become increasingly scarce, the world will shift to aerobic (non-flooded) rice production. In aerobic soils AM fungi function normally, so we then have an opportunity to use AM fungi to improve rice nutrient and water uptake. Could AM fungi boost the resilience of rice production to climate change?

Aside from these topics, I am always open to exploring the function of AM fungi in new contexts and crops through collaboration. Please contact me if you are interested in working on a research question that could involve AM fungi and/or crop nutrition and quality.