Elizabeth Arnold (scientist)

Elizabeth Arnold
Born	Anne Elizabeth Arnold
Alma mater	Duke University University of Arizona
Scientific career
Institutions	University of Arizona Duke University
Thesis	Neotropical fungal endophytes: Diversity and ecology  (2002)
Website	Arnold Lab

A. Elizabeth "Betsy" Arnold is an American evolutionary biologist who is a Professor of Plant Sciences and Curator of the Robert L. Gilbertson Mycological Herbarium at the University of Arizona. Her research consists of fungal biology. She was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2021.

Early life and education

Arnold studied biology at Duke University. ^[1] Her undergraduate thesis studied flower colour polymorphism. ^[1] She then moved to the University of Arizona for her doctoral studies, where she investigated fungal endophytes under the guidance of American botanist Lucinda A. McDade. ^[1] After earning her doctorate Arnold returned to Duke University, ^[1] where she was awarded a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship to work alongside François Lutzoni. ^{[1] [2]}

Research and career

In 2005, Arnold was appointed to the faculty at the University of Arizona. ^[3] In 2015, she started as a curator at the Robert L. Gilbertson Mycological Herbarium, later getting promoted to professor. ^[1] In the past, she has taught fungal biology to many students, ranging from high school to postdoc students. ^[1] Currently, she is a professor for the School of Plant Sciences and the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. ^[4] Her research considers fungal endophytes, ^[5] the very small fungi that live within plants without causing disease, uncovering both the remarkable diversity of endophytes and their potential applications in biotechnology. ^[6] 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. ^[7] Her research has helped improve knowledge about plants and fungi interact in tropical settings. Arnold has studied these endophytes in trees, crop plants and shrubs in tropical rainforests and the arctic tundra. ^[6]

Arnold has served as an editor of Mycologia . ^[1]

Awards and honors

• 2002 Alwyn Gentry Award ^[8]
• 2011 International Mycological Association Arthur Henry Buller Medal ^{[9] [10]}
• 2011 David E. Cox Teaching Award ^[11]
• 2012 Mycological Society of America Alexopolous Prize ^[6]
• 2016 Mycological Society of America William H. Weston Award ^[12]
• 2016 University of Arizona Bart Cardon Fellow ^[13]
• 2021 Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science ^{[14] [15]}

Selected publications

• R J Rodriguez; James Francis White, Jr.; A E Arnold; R S Redman (February 19, 2009). "Fungal endophytes: diversity and functional roles". New Phytologist . 182 (2): 314–330. doi:10.1111/J.1469-8137.2009.02773.X. ISSN   0028-646X. PMID   19236579. Wikidata   Q33411532.
• Timothy Y. James; Frank Kauff; Conrad L. Schoch; et al. (October 19, 2006). "Reconstructing the early evolution of Fungi using a six-gene phylogeny". Nature . 443 (7113): 818–822. doi:10.1038/NATURE05110. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   17051209. Wikidata   Q21972837.
• A Elizabeth Arnold; Luis Carlos Mejía; Damond Kyllo; Enith I Rojas; Zuleyka Maynard; Nancy Robbins; Edward Allen Herre (December 23, 2003). "Fungal endophytes limit pathogen damage in a tropical tree". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America . 100 (26): 15649–54. Bibcode:2003PNAS..10015649A. doi:10.1073/PNAS.2533483100. ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   307622 . PMID   14671327. Wikidata   Q24617213.

References

1. "Elizabeth (Betsy) Arnold – Mycological Society of America" . Retrieved February 6, 2022.
2. "Lab Members: Betsy Arnold – Lutzoni Lab" . Retrieved February 6, 2022.
3. "A. Elizabeth (Betsy) Arnold | EnDoBiodiversity". www.endobiodiversity.org. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
4. "A. Elizabeth Arnold | Ecology & Evolutionary Biology". eeb.arizona.edu.
5. Oita, Shuzo; Ibáñez, Alicia; Lutzoni, François; Miadlikowska, Jolanta; Geml, József; Lewis, Louise A.; Hom, Erik F. Y.; Carbone, Ignazio; U’Ren, Jana M.; Arnold, A. Elizabeth (March 9, 2021). "Climate and seasonality drive the richness and composition of tropical fungal endophytes at a landscape scale". Communications Biology. 4 (1): 313. doi:10.1038/s42003-021-01826-7. ISSN   2399-3642. PMC   7943826 . PMID   33750915.
6. "Alexopoulos Prize Honors Dr. Betsy Arnold for Outstanding Early Career in Mycology | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences | The University of Arizona". www.cals.arizona.edu. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
7. Arnold, A. Elizabeth; Lutzoni, F. (2007). "Diversity and Host Range of Foliar Fungal Endophytes: Are Tropical Leaves Biodiversity Hotspots?". Ecology. 88 (3): 541–549. doi:10.1890/05-1459. ISSN   1939-9170.
8. "2002 Alwyn Gentry Award". Biotropica. 34 (4): 620–622. December 1, 2002. doi:10.1646/0006-3606(2002)034[0620:AGA]2.0.CO;2. ISSN   0006-3606.
9. Hawksworth, David L.; Taylor, John W. (December 1, 2011). "Awards and Personalia". IMA Fungus. 2 (2): A52 –A56. doi: 10.1007/BF03449507 . ISSN   2210-6359.
10. "IMA Fungus 2011 Awards" (PDF). doi:10.1007/BF03449507.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
11. "David E. Cox Faculty Teaching Award | ALVSCE Compass: Employee Resources". compass.arizona.edu. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
12. "Past William H. Weston Awardees for Teaching Excellence in Mycology – Mycological Society of America" . Retrieved February 6, 2022.
13. "Cardon Academy for Teaching Excellence | ALVSCE Compass: Employee Resources". compass.arizona.edu. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
14. "2021 AAAS Fellows | American Association for the Advancement of Science". www.aaas.org. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
15. "Three UArizona faculty named AAAS Fellows". University of Arizona News. January 26, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.