A. Elizabeth "Betsy" Arnold is an American evolutionary biologist who is a professor at the University of Arizona's School of Plant Sciences and curator of the Robert L. Gilbertson Mycological Herbarium at the University of Arizona.[1] She researches fungal biology. She was elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2021.
In 2005, Arnold was appointed to the faculty at the University of Arizona.[4] She taught fungal biology to a wide range of people, such as: postdocs, graduate students, undergraduates, K-12 teachers, high school students, and lifelong learners.[5] In 2015, she started as a curator at the Robert L. Gilbertson Mycological Herbarium, later[when?] getting promoted to professor.[2] Currently,[when?] she is a professor for the School of Plant Sciences and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona.[6] She continues to research fungal endophytes,[7] the very small fungi that live within plants without causing disease, uncovering both the remarkable diversity of endophytes and their potential applications in biotechnology.[8] According to her 2007 study in Ecology, which examines the diversity and ecological functions of fungal endophytes in tropical ecosystems, these fungi are extremely varied and essential to plant resilience and health, especially in tropical leaves, which are hotspots for biodiversity.[9] Her research has helped improve knowledge about plant and fungi interact actions in tropical settings. Arnold has studied these endophytes in trees, crop plants and shrubs in tropical rainforests and the arctic tundra.[8] She has also studied[10] hot deserts. In Winter 2021, Arnold was elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[11]
Arnold has been executive editor of Mycologia, and served on various MSA committees[12] and published over 120 peer-reviewed papers.[12] She has maintained and developed the Gilbertson Mycologia Herbarium.[13]
In 2021, Arnold was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for her contributions to evolutionary biology and fungal ecology. [14] Arnold has also been a recipient of the International Mycological Association’s Arthur Henry Buller Medal (2011) [15]
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