Origin and evolution of plants and their interactions with fungi
Talks are open to museum staff and colleagues from the local community and will take place in the Flett. Registration is free, but please let us know by August 31 if you would like to attend. E-mail to: c.strullu-derrien@nhm.ac.uk
Tuesday 9th September
9.30 Welcome - coffee
10.00 Introductory Remarks: Paul Kenrick & Christine Strullu-Derrien
Session 1. Chair: Christine Strullu-Derrien
10.15 Paul Kenrick NHM London (UK) - The origin of plants and their organ systems
10.45 Christopher Berry, University of Cardiff (UK) – Early forests, early geological records of soils
11.15 Timothy Lenton, University of Exeter (UK) - Impact of plants on the carbon cycle emphasizing the colonization of the land.
11.45 Coffee break
12.15 Silvia Pressel and Jeffrey G. Duckett, NHM London (UK) – The biology of fungal symbioses in lower land plants.
12.45 Ben Slater, University of Birmingham (UK) - Oomycetes and their role in Late Palaeozoic-Early Mesozoic ecosystems
Session 2. Chair: Francis Martin
14.30 Sophien Kamoun, Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich (UK) - Genome evolution in plant pathogens (Oomycetes)
15.00 Mary Berbee, University of British Columbia (Canada) - The fungal Tree of Life
15.30 David Hibbett, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) - The origin of lignin decomposition by fungi
16.00 Martin Bidartando Imperial College, London (UK) - The origin of plant/fungal symbioses - perspective from living plants
16.30 Coffee Break
17.00 Discussion - Discussion leaders: Francis Martin and Marc-André Selosse
Wednesday 10th September
9.00 Welcome - coffee
Session 3. Chair: Paul Kenrick
9.30 Christine Strullu-Derrien NHM London (UK) - Fossil evidence of mycorrhizal symbiosis and other fungal and oomycetes - plant interactions
10.00 Francis Martin INRA, Nancy (France) – Evolutionary origins and diversification of the mycorrhizal mutualists
10.30 Marc-André Selosse, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (France) - Evolution of the mycorrhizal symbiosis - questions for paleontology.
11.00 Pierre-Marc Delaux, University of Wisconsin, Madison (USA) – Origin of the plant-microbe symbiotic “toolkit”
11.30 Coffee break
12.00 Jonathan Leake, University of Sheffield (UK) - Geological impact of mycorrhizal symbioses
12.30 Dianne Edwards, University of Cardiff (UK) - How do we recognize a fungus in the Palaeozoic?
Session 4. Chair: Marc-André Selosse
14.15 Sebastian Schornack, University of Cambridge (UK) - Common and contrasting processes during accommodation of beneficial and detrimental fungi and oomycetes
14.45 Maarja Öpik, University of Tartu (Estonia) - Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: patterns of diversity from global to local scales
15.15 Structured Discussion (not open to the public) : Bridging paleobotany & genomics
17.30 End of the workshop