A. Elizabeth (Betsy) Arnold

Professor and Curator, RLG Mycological Herbarium - School of Plant Sciences, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Genetics GIDP, Applied Biosciences GIDP, 1885 Research Scholar and Fellow, Bart Cardon Academy for Teaching Excellence, Co-Director, NSF NRT in Ecosystem Genomics
520-3960854 / 520-621-2244 (Lab)

Educational Background

  • BS, Biology, Duke University
  • Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the University of Arizona
  • NSF Postdoctoral Fellow in Microbial Biology, Duke University

Research Interests

  • Fungal ecology, evolution, and systematics; the evolution of symbioses; plant microbiomes

Selected Publications

Geml, J., A.E. Arnold, T.A. Semenova-Nelson, E.R. Nouhra, E.R. Dreschler-Santos, A. Goes-Neto, L.N. Morgado, P. Odor, B. Hegyi, O. Grau, A. Ibáñez, L. Tedersoo, F. Lutzoni. 2022. Community dynamics of soil-borne fungal communities along elevation gradients in neotropical and paleotropical forests. Molecular Ecology, in press.
Arnold, A.E. and D.C. Sandberg. 2021. Clohesyomyces symbioticus sp. nov., a fungal endophyte associated with roots of water smartweed (Persicaria amphibia). Plant and Fungal Systematics 66:201-210.
Fehmi, J., C. Rasmussen, A.E. Arnold. 2021. The pioneer effect advantage in plant invasions: site priming of native grasslands by invasive grasses. Ecosphere 12:e03750.
Oita, S., A. Ibáñez, F. Lutzoni, J. Miadlikowska, J. Geml, L.A. Lewis, E.F.Y. Hom, I. Carbone, A.E. Arnold. 2021. Climate and seasonality drive richness and composition of tropical fungal endophytes at a landscape scale. Communications Biology 4:e313.
U’Ren, J.M., F. Lutzoni, J. Miadlikowska, N.B. Zimmerman, I. Carbone, G. May, A.E. Arnold. 2019. Host availability drives distributions of fungal endophytes in the imperiled boreal realm. Nature Ecology & Evolution 3: 1430-1437.
Bowman, E.A. and A.E. Arnold. 2021. Drivers and implications of distance decay differ for ectomycor-rhizal and foliar endophytic fungi across an anciently fragmented landscape. ISMEJ, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-01006-9.
Chen, K.-H., H.-L. Liao, A.E. Arnold, F. Lutzoni. 2018. Metatranscriptomic analysis of active fungal communities across a senescence gradient of the moss Dicranum scoparium. New Phytologist 218: 1597-1611.
Bowman, E.A., A.E. Arnold. 2018. Distributions of ectomycorrhizal and foliar endophytic fungal communities associated with Pinus ponderosa along a spatially constrained elevation gradient. American Journal of Botany 105: 687-699.
Zalamea, P.-C., J.W. Dalling, C. Sarmiento, A.E. Arnold, C. Delevich, M.A. Berbow, A. Ndobegang, S. Gripenberg, A.S. Davis. 2018. Dormancy-defense syndromes and trade-offs between physical and chemical defenses in seeds. Ecology DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2419
Sarmiento, C., P.-C. Zalamea, J.W. Dalling, A.S. Davis, S.M. Stump, J.M. U’Ren, A.E. Arnold. 2017. Soilborne fungi have host affinity and host-specific effects on seed germination and survival in a lowland tropical forest. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 114: 11458-11463.
U’Ren, J.M., J. Miadlikowska, N. Zimmerman, F. Lutzoni, J. Stajich, A.E. Arnold. 2016. Contributions of North American endophytes to the phylogeny, ecology, and taxonomy of the Xylariaceae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 98: 210-232.
Huang, Y.-L., M.M.N. Devan, J.M. U’Ren, S.H. Furr, and A.E. Arnold. 2016. Pervasive effects of wildfire on foliar endophyte communities in montane forest trees. Microbial Ecology 71: 452-468.
Chagnon, P.-L., J.M. U’Ren, F. Lutzoni, J. Miadlikowska, and A.E. Arnold. 2016. Interaction type influences ecological network structure more than local abiotic conditions: evidence from fungal symbionts at a continental scale. Oecologia 180: 181-191.
Arendt, K.R., K.L. Hockett, S.J. Araldi-Brondolo, D.A. Baltrus, A.E. Arnold. 2016. Isolation of endohyphal bacteria from foliar fungi and in vitro establishment of their symbiotic associations. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 82: 2943-2949.

Teaching Responsibilities

  • PLP 329A, Microbial Diversity
  • PLP 550, Principles of Plant Microbiology
  • PLP 475/575, Advanced Mycology (co-taught with Marc Orbach)
  • PLS195a, How will we feed and clothe 9 billion people by 2050? (co-taught with David Galbraith)
  • PLP 596b, sec 253, Topics in Fungal and Microbial Ecology and Evolution
  • HNRS 195I, Honors colloquium, special topics in science

Research Areas

  • Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology
  • Microbiology
  • Plant Protection and Pathology