Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Microbial Biology for FY 2004

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This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Microbial biology for FY2004. The fellowship supports training and research on the basic biology of protozoan, microalgal, fungal, archaeal, bacterial and viral species that are not generally considered to be model organisms. Further, it provides opportunities for recent doctoral recipients to obtain additional training in microbial biology, to gain research experience under the sponsorship of established scientists, and to broaden their scientific horizons beyond the research experiences during the undergraduate and graduate training. These fellowships are further designed to assist new scientists to direct their research efforts across traditional disciplinary lines and to avail themselves of unique research resources, sites, and facilities, including foreign locations.The research and training plan is entitled "Multispecies interactions in associated bacterial pathogens, insect vectors, and their host plants." Plants suffer from attack by numerous parasites, including insects and bacterial pathogens. The bacterial pathogen Spiroplasma citri, and its leafhopper vector, Circulifer tenellus, are known to attack citrus and crucifer crops. This study investigates interactions between these organisms, revealing the potential for mutualism or parasitism between pathogens and their insect vectors and the abilities of plants to coordinate multiple defense responses. The Fellow is developing skills in microbiology, including microscopy and culturing techniques, while learning to use microarrays for the analysis of gene expression.