Wallace Coffee Talks - Autumn 2020
1st December - 12pm - Online (Zoom)
Fancy a cup of coffee or tea and learning more about the researchers at Swansea university? Come join us at the Wallace coffee talks: an informal seminar series where students, staff and others related to Swansea university speak about their research or personal interests.Nathan Thomas
The basic biology and biotechnology applications of the photosynthetic flatworm Symsagittifera roscoffensis
Symsagittifera
roscoffensis or more commonly known as the mint source worm, is
an Acoel in the phylum Xenacoelomorpha (previously Platyhelminthes). Symsagittifera roscoffensis gets its common name
due to its vivid green colour, this colour is a result of symbiosis with the
algae Tetraselmis Convoluta. Symbiosis
means that all of the nutritional needs of these organisms are met by the
photosynthetic activity of the algae. While S. roscoffensis are present at
multiple locations within Europe, they only occur at one location within the
UK. The scientific literature is sparse on key details that allow us to fully
understand these organisms. My PhD focuses on understanding the basic biology,
symbiotic interactions and behavioral aspects of these worms. Join me for this
coffee talk where we will discuss the key research topics of my PhD and some
preliminary data.
Hywel Evans
Fungal functional traits: their structure and role in ecological processes
Fungi
are critical components of terrestrial ecosystems. They recycle nutrients, create
habitats, support plant communities, provide food for a wide variety of
invertebrates and vertebrates and act as catalysts for Carbon and Nitrogen
cycles. Fungi are ubiquitous in nature, but large parts of their life histories
are unseen and difficult to quantify. The occasional fruiting body of some
fungi alerts us to their presence, but the largest part of a fungus is the
network of microscopic filaments called hyphae which it uses to burrow into its
substrate. Advancements in molecular biology and high-throughput sequencing,
has allowed us to study fungi in more detail, but due to their enormous
diversity and often-large intra-specific variation, this still comes with its
own set of challenges. Functional trait ecology can help us overcome some of
these challenges. Functional trait ecology aims to examine characteristics,
rather than individual species to help us better understand the fungal
community. This approach is already prevalent in plant ecology, but for fungi
it is still in its infancy. My research will consist of a meta-analysis of fungal
functional traits, specifically looking at functional traits in the wood
decomposing basidiomycetes, helping us to understand patterns in species
assembly in wood decay communities and relationships between key traits.
