Plant-microbe interactions

The interactions of plants with microbes both in the soil and above ground shoot are of great importance for the growth and productivity of plants in agricultural and natural ecosystems. At the Research School of Biology, interactions between plants, symbiotic bacteria, fungi, and pathogens are being investigated at levels ranging from the molecule to the ecosystem. 

Project Groups
A synthetic biology approach to detect pathogen molecules in crops Schwessinger Group - Plants, fungi, evolution
Agrochemical control of stress signalling pathways for enhanced stress tolerance Chan Group - Plant Organelle and Cellular Signalling
Australian Mountain Research Facility (AMRF, ARC LIEF project)
  • Head Group – Ecology and evolution of sex
  • Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
  • Linde Group - Population genetics, evolution, phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics of fungi
  • Borevitz Group - Plant genomics for climate adaption
  • Bioinformatics and gene discovery in wheat rust pathogens Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    Cell specific activation of plant hormones Mathesius Group - Root microbe interactions - symbionts to parasites
    Characterising the Zymospetoria tritici - wheat interaction Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    Control of meristem differentiation and plant architecture in legumes Djordjevic Group - Root architecture, root nodule formation, nitrogen fixation, regulatory peptides, plant development, Rhizobium
    Coordination of chloroplast signals with cellular secondary messengers during abiotic and biotic stresses Chan Group - Plant Organelle and Cellular Signalling
    Delivery of virulence proteins by fungal rust pathogens Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    Detection of fungal pathogens and their associated microbiome Schwessinger Group - Plants, fungi, evolution
    Dissecting the defence responses activated by tomato receptors able to detect Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici infection Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Drivers of phenotypic evolution in a vulnerable alpine ecosystem
  • Head Group – Ecology and evolution of sex
  • Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
  • Linde Group - Population genetics, evolution, phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics of fungi
  • Effector delivery by fungal rust pathogens Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    Elucidating the role of plasmodesmata in wheat stripe rust fungal infection
  • Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
  • Danila Group – Plant cell structure and intercellular communication
  • Engineering microRNA pathways for broad-spectrum plant disease resistance. Millar Group - Plant microRNA biology and disease resistance
    Exploring Australia’s diversity for pathogens of weeds Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    Flavonoid functions in nitrogen-fixing symbioses Mathesius Group - Root microbe interactions - symbionts to parasites
    Functional characterisation of the flax rust fungus AvrP and AvrL2 effector proteins Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Fungal genomics, evolution, and host adaptation Schwessinger Group - Plants, fungi, evolution
    Genomics of wild Australian brewing yeasts Schwessinger Group - Plants, fungi, evolution
    Honours projects are now available to study a wide range of topics in biosecurity and pathogenesis Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    How do effector proteins from necrotrophic fungi cause disease in wheat
  • Williams Group - Plant structural immunology
  • Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
  • Identification and functional characterisation of flax rust effectors Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Identification and functional characterisation of the Fusarium oxysporum Avr7 effector gene. Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Identification of signal transduction and accessory protein requirements for resistance responses mediated by the tomato I gene for Fusarium wilt resistance. Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Improving biological nitrogen fixation in legumes Mathesius Group - Root microbe interactions - symbionts to parasites
    Novel metabolite discovery and characterisation Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    PhD projects are now available to study a wide range of topics in biosecurity and pathogenesis Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    Protein function in plant immunity Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    Speciation in co-evolved taxa: sexually-deceptive orchids and their mycorrhizal symbionts Linde Group - Population genetics, evolution, phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics of fungi
    Studying pathogen proteins that cause disease Solomon Group - Wheat biosecurity
    Synthetic biology to engineer novel disease resistance in cereal crops Rathjen Group - Plant immunity
    The molecular basis for plant susceptibility and immunity to Fusarium wilt disease
  • Williams Group - Plant structural immunology
  • Jones Group - Disease resistance
  • Understanding the molecular basis of fungal rust diseases in plants Williams Group - Plant structural immunology
    Understanding the role of peptide hormones in determining root architecture Djordjevic Group - Root architecture, root nodule formation, nitrogen fixation, regulatory peptides, plant development, Rhizobium
    Use of a tobacco Pathogenesis-related Protein-5 (PR-5) promoter: β glucuronidase (GUS) reporter system to study plant defence activation in response to phytohormones, abiotic stresses and biotic inducers. Jones Group - Disease resistance
    Wheat immunity and applied synthetic biology Rathjen Group - Plant immunity

    Updated:  13 June 2019/Responsible Officer:  Web Services/Page Contact:  Web Services