Jeri Lynn Parrent Sciences
Genetic Diversity Among Populations of Phellinus Swieteniae in Mangroves
Through a combination of field-work and laboratory research, Jeri’s project promises to make an important contribution to our understanding of-and our efforts to preserve-the planet’s extraordinarily rich biological diversity. This summer, Jeri will travel to Panama to collect samples of Phellinus swieteniae, a fungal pathogen of black mangroves from six spatially isolated mangrove forests located on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. While in Panama, Jeri will also have the opportunity to visit the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), one of the leading tropical ecology research institutes in the world, and to meet with leading scientists in the field of biogeography, her intended field of graduate study. During the following academic year, she will complete her research project at UC Berkeley, using modern DNA analysis techniques to determine the amount of genetic diversity that exists within and among the populations of fungi collected.
