Erica Packard
Presentation
I am interested in studying the ecology of soil fungi, particularly mycorrhizal fungi, and their role in soil organic matter decomposition.
Research
My research project focuses on the overlapping of traits of fungi with mycorrhizal ecology and potent decomposition capacity. I study not only which fungi may have this potential but also what is their niche and how do they respond to/ impact their environment. Furthermore, I am interested in what implications this has for nutrient and carbon dynamics in boreal forests. In my work, I use a broad range of methods both for feild and laboratory studies including, metatranscriptomics, heterologous expression, and modelling of large-scale inventory data.
Teaching
Carbon and Nitrogen cycling practical - Soil biology and biochemical cycles - MSc course BI1322
Microscopy mycorrhiza - Soil biology and biochemical cycles - MSc course BI1322
Soil biology practical - Soil sciences - BSc course MV0219
Main supervisor of MSc thesis - Bella Strid (2023)
Main supervisor of BSc thesis - Lisa Larsson (2024)
Educational credentials
BSc Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Honours), UBCO, Canada (2021)