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UK Fungal Network

The UK Fungal Network (UKFN) is an interdisciplinary network of researchers who are involved in the study of the form and function of fungal mycelia, and other complex biological reaction/interaction networks. The scientific objective of UKFN is to:

• Develop and combine a wide range of experimental, imaging, computational and mathematical tools to obtain a new and detailed understanding of the cellular interactions that occur within the mycelium and the expression of such interactions with their environment.

Self-organization


This knowledge will be formed within the context of a variety of agricultural, environmental and industrial applications. Novel, multi-scale, cross-disciplinary approaches will be developed and used to attack problems across scales ranging from the internal movement of metabolites and hyphal tip morphology to the development of interconnected mycelial networks and relevance to environmental processes.


Fungal Mycelia

Filamentous fungi, i.e. fungi that produce an interconnected network of tubular hyphae (the mycelium) are of fundamental importance in the biosphere with major roles in plant pathogenesis, mutualistic symbioses (e.g. mycorrhizas, lichens), decomposition and nutrient cycling, and in the maintenance of soil. Several species are used in important industrial fermentations (e.g. penicillin and citric acid production) and many have application and potential in other areas of biotechnology such as bioremediation of organic and inorganic pollutants and biocontrol of plant pathogens. Fungi are also important in the biodeterioration and corrosion of natural and synthetic products including wood, stone and metals with, in some cases, a detrimental influence on human health. The fungal mycelium represents a complex reaction network that is ideally suited to exploit its environment. In all of the above contexts, environmental heterogeneity has a strong influence on growth and function.

It is now clear that the form and function of these organisms is difficult to study using experimental methods alone, not only because of the structure and composition of the substrata and the complexity of fungal growth, but also because of the huge range of temporal and spatial scales over which they operate. To overcome these difficulties, a cross-disciplinary approach is essential with mathematical modelling and computational techniques used as adjuvant experimental tools providing a powerful mechanism to understand fungal growth, form and function.


UK Fungal Network

For more information about UKFN please contact:

Fordyce Davidson
fdavidson [at] maths.dundee.ac.uk

Mark Fricker
mark.fricker [at] plants.ox.ac.uk


UKFN Members

Institution

Contact

Manisha Anantharaman

University of Oxford

 

Dan Bebber

University of Oxford

danbebber [at] forestecology.co.uk

Lynne Boddy

University of Cardiff

boddyl [at] cardiff.ac.uk

Graham Boswell

University of Glamorgan

gpboswell [at] glam.ac.uk

Al Brown

University of Aberdeen

al.brown [at] abdn.ac.uk

Nicholas Clipson

University College Dublin

nicholas.clipson [at] ucd.ie

John Crawford

University of Abertay

j.crawford [at] abertay.ac.uk

Nik Cunniffe

University of Cambridge

njc1001 [at] cam.ac.uk

Peter Darrah

University of Oxford

peter.darrah [at] plants.ox.ac.uk

Fordyce Davidson

University of Dundee

fdavidson [at] maths.dundee.ac.uk

Ruth Falconer

University of Abertay

r.falconer [at] abertay.ac.uk

Mark Fricker

University of Oxford

mark.fricker [at] plants.ox.ac.uk

Geoff Gadd

University of Dundee

g.m.gadd [at] dundee.ac.uk

Christopher Gilligan

University of Cambridge

cag1 [at] cam.ac.uk

Neil Gow

University of Aberdeen

n.gow [at] abdn.ac.uk

Martin Grube

Univeristy of Graz, Austria

martin.grube [at] kfunigraz.ac.at

Paul Hoskisson

University of Strathclyde

paul.hoskisson [at] strath.ac.uk

Nick Jones

University of Oxford

nick.jones [at] physics.ox.ac.uk

Chiu-Fan Lee

University of Oxford

c.lee1 [at]physics.ox.ac.uk

Franco Neri

University of Cambridge

fmn22 [at] cam.ac.uk

Stefan Olsson

University of Copenhagen

sto [at] life.ku.dk

Jukka-Pekka Onnela

University of Oxford

jp.onnela [at] physics.ox.ac.uk

Wilfred Otten

University of Abertay

w.otten [at] abertay.ac.uk

Francisco-Jose Perez-Reche

University of Cambridge

perez [at] lms.polytechnique.fr

Mason Porter

University of Oxford

porterm [at] maths.ox.ac.uk

Mariya Ptasknyk

University of Oxford

ptashnyk [at] maths.ox.ac.uk

Nick Read

University of Edinburgh

nick.read [at] ed.ac.uk

Felix Reed-Tsochas

University of Oxford

felix.reed-tsochas [at] sbs.ox.ac.uk

Karl Ritz

Cranfield University

k.ritz [at] cranfield.ac.uk

Tiina Roose

University of Oxford

roose [at] maths.ox.ac.uk

David Smith

University of Oxford

d.smith3 [at] physics.ox.ac.uk

Phillip Staniczenko

University of Oxford

p.staniczenko [at] physics.ox.ac.uk

Sergei Taraskin

University of Cambridge

snt1000 [at] cus.cam.ac.uk

Pieter van West

University of Aberdeen

p.vanwest [at] abdn.ac.uk

Steve Webb

University of Strathclyde

sdw [at] maths.strath.ac.uk



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