Meredith Blackwell

Boyd Professor
Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 1973.

380 Life Sciences Building
Department of Biological Sciences
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 USA
Phone: 225-388-8551 and 225-388-8562
FAX: 225-388-2597
E-mail: mblackwell@lsu.edu

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Fungal systematics and evolution; life histories; arthropod-dispersal of fungi

My interest in the phylogeny of fungi focuses on the way in which arthropod dispersal has evolved. The problems associated with spore dispersal of fungi to particular limited substrates such as dung, have led to a broader investigation of spore dispersal by arthropods. Fungi associated with mites phoretic on beetles are especially important to provide new clues to the evolution of entomogenous fungi; studies of phylogeny of these groups is being emphasized. Enlargement of the collections of unique Gulf Coastal Plain fungi, particularly wood-rotting Basidiomycetes and fungi associated with arthropods is under way. Fungi are studied using a variety of techniques including field and cultural studies, electron microscopy, and nucleic acid sequencing.

EDUCATION

• B.S. 1961  Biology, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette
• M.S. 1963  Biology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.  Fishes of the Cahaba River  Drainage System of Alabama
• Ph.D. 1973  Botany, University of Texas at Austin. A Developmental and Taxonomic Study  of Protophysarum phloiogenum.

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

• 1962-1963  Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Alabama
• 1962-1963  Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Texas
• 1963-1968  Graduate Research Assistant, University of Texas
• 1970-1972  Graduate Research Assistant, University of Texas
• 1972-1974  Electron Microscopist, University of Florida
• 1974-1975  Interim Assistant in Botany, University of Florida
• 1975 (Summer) Faculty, Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia
• 1975-1981  Assistant Professor of Biology, Hope College, Holland, Michigan (tenure granted, 1981)
• 1981-1985  Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
• 1985-1988  Associate Professor with tenure, Department of Botany, Louisiana State University
• 1988-1997  Professor, Department of Botany (then Plant Biology, now Biological Sciences), Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
• 1997-   Boyd Professor, Department of Biological Sciences), Louisiana State    University, Baton Rouge

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE

Acting Associate Dean, College of Basic Science, Louisiana State University (7 months, 1989-1990)  Acting Chair, Department of Botany, Louisiana State University (periodically 1989- )  Program Director, National Science Foundation (1997-1998). Additional experiences listed under "Professional Service."

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Research Associate, Brown and Root-Northrup (NASA, Houston) (1970, 4 months)

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Societies: Mycological Society of America (Member, Committee on Research Grants and Publications, 1976-1979; Chairman, 1977-1979; Councilor, 1981-1982; Mycologia Memoirs Editorial Board, 1983-1990; Secretary, 1986-1988; Committee on Culture Collections, 1986-1988; Foray Committee, 1986-1988; Committee for Long Range Planning, 1989-1990, 1999-2000; Committee on the By-Laws, 1997-1999); Vice-President, 1990-1991; President-Elect, 1991-1992; President, 1992-1993; Past-President, 1993-1995) International Mycological Association (Member, Executive Committee, 1990-1994; Secretary-General, 1994-1998; President, 1998-2002) British Mycological Society (Member) Linnean Society of London (Fellow) Botanical Society of America (Member; Secretary, Microbiological Section, 1979-1982; Section Program Chairman, 1980-1982) AAAS (Fellow) Willi Hennig Society (Associate Member) Society for Invertebrate Pathology (Member) International Symbiosis Society (Member) Sigma Xi (Member; Treasurer, Local Chapter, 1977-1979; Member, Awards Committee, 1983-1986)

Other: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (Member, Editorial Board, 1992- ) Mycologia (Associate Editor, 1995-1997) Journal of African Mycology and Biotechnology (Member, Editorial Board, 1998- ) Systematics and Geography of Plants (Member, Editorial Board, 1999- ) XVI International Botanical Congress (Member, Steering Committee, 1995-1999) International Union of Microbiological Societies (Mycology Section), Member, Congress Programme Advisory Board (1997-1998) International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies, Member, ad hoc Committee to assess invitations to host the XVII IBC National Science Foundation (Panelist: Biotic Surveys and Inventories; Systematics; Infrastructure; PEET White Paper on Monographs Committee; Systematics and Population Biology Committee of Visitors; Program Director, Systematics Program, 1997-1998) III Latin American Mycological Congress (Member, International Advisory Committee, 1999)

ACADEMIC CONSULTING

Miami University, Reviewer, Department of Botany, 1996
University of Gent, Reader, PhD Thesis of A. DeKesel, 1997
Harvard University, Member, PhD Qualifying Exam Committee of Debbie Miller, 1997
Uppsala University, Advisor to the Search Committee, Systematic Botany position, 1998
University of Alberta, Reader, PhD Thesis of Sarah Hambleton, 1998
University of the OFS, Bloemfontein, RSA, Reader, PhD Thesis of R. C. Witthuhn, 1999
University of British Columbia, Reviewer, Department of Botany, 1999

HONORS AND AWARDS

1962-1963         University Teaching Fellowship, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
1963 summer      Traineeship, NIH Environmental Training Program, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
1972 summer      Traineeship, NSF Environmental and Systematic Biology Program, University of Texas, Austin
1983                   Alexopoulos Prize, Mycological Society of America
1996                   Centenary Fellow, British Mycological Society

COURSES TAUGHT

Undergraduate: Botany (Majors' and Non-majors' sequences), General Biology, Cytology, Plant Morphology, General Zoology, Microbiology, Scanning Electron Microscopy Techniques, Economic Plants.

Graduate: Mycology, Advanced Mycology

PUBLICATIONS

INVITED SYMPOSIUM PAPERS

Resistant structures in the Myxomycetes. Second International Fungal Spore Symposium, Provo, Utah, July 1974 (with H. C. Aldrich).

Identification of airborne myxomycete spores. AIBS, Athens, Georgia, August 1978.

Fungi of the Sonoran Desert. MSA, Milestones in Mycology Program, Bloomington, Indiana, August 1981 (with R. L. Gilbertson) (Abstract).

Historical studies on fungus-insect relationships: an introduction to phylogenetic systematics. Fungus-Insect Relationships. ESA, Eastern Branch and Cornell University, Syracuse and Ithaca, N.Y., October 1981 (with Q. Wheeler).

Myxomycete life cycles and arthropod spore dispersers. Fungus-Insect Relationships. ESA, Eastern Branch and Cornell University, Syracuse and Ithaca, N.Y., October 1981.

Spore dispersal in soybean pathogenic fungi. Louisiana Society of Electron Microscopists, Keynote Address, Thibodaux, Louisiana, November 1983.

Host and geographical distribution of Gulf Coast wood-rotting fungi. MSA, Gainesville, Florida, August 1985 (with R. L. Gilbertson) (Abstract).

Fungal interfaces: ectoparasites of arthropods. MSA, Amherst, Massachusetts, August 1986 (Abstract).

Influence of arthropod dispersal on the evolution of fungal life cycles. Fungal-insect interactions: a mini-symposium, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon. April-May 1987.

Origins of invertebrate pathogens: Fungi. Plenary Session, Society for Invertebrate Pathology, College Park, Maryland, August 1989 (with D. Malloch).

Taxonomy and phylogeny of Pyxidiophora: Molecular evidence. Taxonomy and Biology of the Ophiostomatales Symposium, Bad Windsheim, West Germany, August 1990 (with J.W. Spatafora, D. Malloch, and J.W. Taylor) (Abstract).

Dispersal biology of the ophiostomatoid fungi. Taxonomy and Biology of the Ophiostomatales Symposium, Bad Windsheim, West Germany, August 1990 (with D. Malloch) (Abstract).

Arthropod-mediated dispersal in coprophilous fungi. Fourth International Mycological Congress, Regensburg, West Germany, August-September 1990 (with D. Malloch).

Phylogenetic systematics of ascomycetes. Fungal Holomorph Conference, Newport, Oregon, August 1992.

Iterative germination in arthropod-associated fungi. MSA, Portland, Oregon, August 1992 (with D. Malloch) (Abstract).

Morphological convergence among arthropod dispersed fungi studied using cladistic analysis of molecular data. British Mycological Society-Systematics Association, Kew, England, November 1992 (with J. W. Spatafora).

Molecular systematics of unitunicate perithecial ascomycetes. First International Workshop on Ascomycete Systematics. Paris, France, May 1993 (with J. W. Spatafora).

Molecular data sets and broad taxon sampling in detecting morphological convergence. First International Workshop on Ascomycete Systematics. Paris, France, May 1993 (with J. W. Spatafora).

Minute mycological mysteries: The influence of arthropods on the lives of fungi. Presidential Address of the Mycological Society of America. MSA, Athens, Georgia, June 1993 (Abstract).

Evolution of fungal mutualism with arthropods: involvement of phoresy and parasitism. Society for Invertebrate Pathology, Ashville, North Carolina, August 1993 (with J. W. Spatafora).

Phylogenetic reconstruction as an aid to understanding the origins of symbiotic interactions. Gordon Research Conference on Fungal Metabolism, Hoderness School, Plymouth, New Hampshire, June 1994.

Phylogeny of filamentous fungi deduced from analysis of molecular characters, present and future. Fungal Taxonomy and Tropical Mycology: Quo Vadis? 100th Anniversary Celebration of MUCL, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, June 1994.

Heterochrony in fungal life cycles. IMC5, Vancouver, British Columbia, August 1994 (with K. Jones and J. W. Spatafora) (Abstract).

Supraordinal classification of the ascomycetes inferred from molecular and other criteria: lichenized and non-lichenized pyrenomycetes. IMC5, Vancouver, British Columbia, August 1994.

Evolutionary simplification of the life cycles of obligate fungal associates of arthropods. International Union of Microbiological Societies Congresses, Mycology Division, Prague, Czech Republic, July 1994 (with K. G. Jones and S. C. Cassar) (Abstract).

Phylogeny of the mycelial fungi; an evaluation of molecular and morphological data. VI International Marine Mycology Symposium (a meeting of the British Mycological Society). Portsmouth, U.K., July 1995 (Abstract).

Key to successful funding--making your research relevant to non-mycologists. MSA, San Diego, August 1995.

A diversity of ascomycetes associated with so many arthropods. British Mycological Society, Centenary, Sheffield, April 1996.

NSF Nematode Workshop participant, Tucson, Arizona, July 1997.

Southern Forest Insect Work Conference, Folly Beach, South Carolina, August 1997.

Phylogeny of phoretic and parasitic fungi associated with insects. Joint American Pathological Society/Entomological Society Of America, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 1998.

Teaching Mycology in China. Beijing, China, Spring 1998 (did not attend).

Fungi that fly: associations of fungi with insects and the consequences. Plenary Lecture, XVI International Botanical Congress, St. Louis, Missouri, August 1999.

CONTRIBUTED PAPERS

Food vacuole destiny in a new myxomycete. Texas Society of Electron Microscopists, Huntsville, Texas, May 1972 (Abstract).

A new species of the genus Licea (Myxomycetes). Alexopoulos Appreciation Day. Amherst, Massachusetts, June 1972 (Abstract).

Entomogenous fungi associated with termites. Association of Southeastern Biologists, Blacksburg, Virginia, April 1975 (Abstract).

Use of pigment separation as a taxonomic character in the Trichiaceae (Myxomycetes). Michigan Academy of Arts and Sciences, Ypsilanti, March 1978 (with A. Busard).

Distribution, host specificity, and variation of Arthrorhynchus nycteribiae and A. eucampsipodae (Laboulbeniomycetes). Mycological Society of America, Stillwater, Oklahoma, August 1979 (Abstract).

Myxomycetes in different vegetation zones of Arizona. MSA, Tucson, Arizona, August 1980 (with R. L. Gilbertson) (Abstract).

A genealogy of American mycologists. MSA, Bloomington, Indiana, August 1981 (with R. L. Gilbertson) (Abstract).

Myxomycete-arthropod associations. BSA(M), University Park, Pennsylvania, August 1982 (Abstract).

Wood-rotting basidiomycetes associated with Quercus virginiana Lam. ASB, Lafayette, Louisiana, April 1983 (with R. L. Gilbertson).

Cultural studies of wood-rotting basidiomycetes from the Sonoran Desert. MSA, Ames, Iowa, June 1983 (with R. L. Gilbertson) (Abstract).

Fungi which decay bark of living live oak trees. MSA, Ames, Iowa, June 1983 (with R. L. Gilbertson) (Abstract).

Distribution and sporulation phenology of myxomycetes in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. MSA, Fort Collins, Colorado, August 1984 (with R. L. Gilbertson) (Abstract).

Biogeography of fungal obligate parasites of termites. MSA, Fort Collins, Colorado, August 1984 (with W. Rossi) (Abstract).

The chemical basis of Melzer's reaction. MSA, Gainesville, Florida, August 1985 (with A. J. Kinney, P. T. Radford, C. M. Dugas, and R. L. Gilbertson) (Abstract).

The exudate of Inonotus dryadeus. MSA, Gainesville, Florida, August 1985 (with G. M. W. Adams) (Abstract).

Pyxidiophora-Thaxteriola. Specialization for mite dispersal. MSA, Amherst, Massachusetts, August 1986 (with J. R. Bridges, J. C. Moser, and T. J. Perry) (Abstract).

Relationships of the Laboulbeniales. MSA, Ottawa, Ontario, June 1987 (with D. Malloch) (Abstract).

A reassessment of the genus Pyxidiophora. MSA, Davis, California, August 1988 (with D. Malloch) (Abstract).

Similarity of the adhesive conidia of Basidiobolus to thalli of Amphoromorpha. MSA, Toronto, Ontario, August 1989 (with D. Malloch) (Abstract).

The importance of arthropod dispersal in coprophilous habitats. MSA, Toronto, Ontario, August 1989 (with D. Malloch) (Abstract).

Dispersal biology of Stylopage anomala. MSA, Madison, Wisconsin, June 1990 (with D. Malloch) (Abstract).

New evidence from an anamorph for the removal of Pyxidiophora from the Hypocreales, MSA, Madison, Wisconsin, June 1990 (with J. W. Spatafora, D. Malloch, J. W. Taylor) (Abstract).

Description of a unique cuticular fungus infecting Japanese beetle larvae. Entomological Society of America, New Orleans, December 1990 (with J. L. Hanula and T. J. Andreadis) (Abstract).

Nuclear-encoded small-subunit ribosomal DNA and ascomycete evolution. Mycological Society of America, San Antonio, August 1991 (with J. W. Spatafora) (Abstract).

Convergent evolution among arthropod-dispersed perithecial ascomycetes. MSA, Portland, Oregon, August 1992 (with J. W. Spatafora) (Abstract).

Taxonomic studies of the form genus Ambrosiella based upon rDNA sequences. MSA, Portland, Oregon, August 1992 (with S. Cassar and J. W. Spatafora) (Abstract).

Laboulbeniales associated with phoretic mites of dung beetles. MSA, Portland, Oregon, August 1992 (with K. M. Robertson) (Abstract).

Analysis of Pyxidiophora spp. using rDNA sequences. MSA, Portland, Oregon, August 1992 (with B. E. Sawyer and J. W. Spatafora) (Abstract).

Monophyly and higher level systematics of ascomycetes. MSA, Portland, Oregon, August 1992 (with J. W. Spatafora) (Abstract).

Phylogenetic origins of ambrosia fungi in the form genus Ambrosiella. First International Workshop of Ascomycete Systematics. Paris, France, May 1993 (with S. Cassar).

Life histories of three undescribed species of Pyxidiophora occurring on beached marine algae. MSA, Athens, Georgia, June 1993 (with D. Malloch) (Abstract).

Assessment of patterns of host-mediated isolation in mutualistic fungi of ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera; Scolytidae). MSA, Athens, Georgia, June 1993 (with S. Cassar) (Abstract).

Evolution of conidium types in Pyxidiophora. IMC5, Vancouver, British Columbia, August 1994 (with H. Johnson, B. Sawyer, K. Jones, and D. Malloch) (Abstract).

Yeast and yeast-like endosymbionts of anobiid beetles. MSA, San Diego, California, August 1995 (with K. G. Jones and P. F. Dowd) (Abstract).

An investigation of position specificity in Stigmatomyces using molecular methods. MSA, San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 1998 (with A. Weir) (Abstract).

Molecular phylogeny of Melanospora Corda and similar pyrenomycetous fungi. XVI International Botanical Congress, St. Louis, Missouri, August 1999 (with N. Zhang) (Abstract).

Yeasts from the gut of Coleoptera: isolation and molecular phylogeny. XVI International Botanical Congress, St. Louis, Missouri, August 1999 (with S-O Suh) (Abstract).

Phylogenetic position of the termite ectoparasitic Termitaria snyderi and Laboulbeniopsis termitarium. XVI International Botanical Congress, St. Louis, Missouri, August 1999 (with D. Henk, K. G. Jones, and A. Weir) (Abstract).

Host specificity: Stigmatomyces (Fungi; Ascomycota) parasitic on Ochthera (Diptera; Ephydridae). XVI International Botanical Congress, St. Louis, Missouri, August 1999 (with A. Weir and W. Rossi) (Abstract).

Fossil bacteria 3.4 Ga and fungi of unknown age in Archean cherts: distinguishing microfossils of different ages using light and electron microscopy and TOF-SIMS. Geological Society of America, Denver, Colorado, October 1999 (with M. M. Walsh, F. Westfall, A. Steele) (Abstract).

UNIVERSITY DUTIES (selected)

Departmental Seminar Committee, 1976-1977; Biology Faculty Search Committee, 1976-1977; College Cultural Affairs Committee, 1977-1979; Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee, 1979-1980; Arts and Sciences Space Committee, 1981-1982; Departmental Graduate Brochure Committee, 1982, 1987; Departmental Seminar Chairman, 1982-1983; Departmental Library Liaison, 1982-1990; Basic Sciences Faculty-Student Affairs Committee, 1983-1984; Basic Sciences Day Committee, 1983-1984; Faculty Senate, 1984-1985; Chairman Evaluation Committee, 1985; Basic Sciences Faculty Teaching Evaluation Committee, 1985; University Commencement Committee, 1987; Basic Sciences Teaching Awards Committee, 1987-1988; Agriculture and Life Sciences Colloquium Committee, 1987-1988; University Honors Board, 1989-1992; Departmental Undergraduate Recruiting Materials Committee, 1989; Basic Sciences Community Earth Day Committee, 1990; Basic Sciences Tenure and Promotions Committee, 1991, 1992; Basic Sciences Policy and Planning Committee, 1992-1993; Basic Sciences Tenure and Promotions Committee, Chairman, 1994-1995; Basic Sciences Committee on Research, 1995-1998; Basic Sciences Safety Committee, 1995-1997; Departmental Chair Search Committee, Chairman, 1995; Systematics Search Committee, 1997; Systematics Search Committee, Chairman, 1998; Departmental Newsletter Editor, 1999.