Jay Yeam

Climate change is reshaping forest ecosystems, altering their distribution, structure, and function. Plants respond to climate stress not only through their own physiology, but also through symbiotic microbes. Among these microbes, ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) form essential symbiotic associations with over 80% of tree species outside the tropics, where they facilitate nutrient exchange by providing host plants with soil-derived nutrients in exchange for photosynthetic carbon. However, despite their ecological significance, little is known regarding the capacity in which EMF can evolve in response to changing climates, what genes regulate environmental resilience, and how adaptability in fungi translates to host fitness. In collaboration with Dr. Kabir Peay and Dr. Vayu Hill-Maini, I combine ecological and synthetic biology approaches to functionally characterize fungal genes involved in environmental resilience and quantify their impacts on plant host fitness. By leveraging synthetic tools to probe and manipulate fungal stress responses, this work will uncover the genetic basis of climate adaptation and inform strategies to sustain forest ecosystems amid rapid environmental change.