Kabir Gabriel Peay

Appointment

Fellow

Fungal Kingdom: Threats & Opportunities

Connect

About

I aim to elucidate the biology and ecology of fungi and use this information to bring to light the many hidden ways in which fungi structure of the world around us. My primary interest is in plant-fungal root associations, better known as mycorrhizas, which constitute one of the most pervasive mutualisms in terrestrial ecosystems.

My questions span a range of scales: (1) how does local environmental variation affect the composition and function of mycorrhizal fungi; (2) how does composition and diversity of mycorrhizal fungi affect coexistence of plant species; (3) how does dispersal affect mycorrhizal community assembly across landscapes, and; (4) how do large-scale differences in climate couple the biogeography of mycorrhizal fungi and plant hosts across biomes?

By integrating these scales of research we hope to build a ‘roots-to-biomes’ understanding that will allow us to predict the fate of fungi in a changing world and promote sustainable ecosystems.

Awards

Early Career Fellow, Ecological Society of America 2016-2021
Terman Fellow, Stanford University, 2017-2020
LInC Fellow, Woods Institute for the Environment
Buller Medal for Early Career Research, International Mycological Association, 2018
Alexopolous Prize for Early Career Research, Mycological Society of America, 2017

Relevant Publications

Steidinger BS, Crowther TW, Liang J, Van Nuland ME, Werner GDA, Reich PB, Nabuurs G, De Miguel S, Zhou M, Picard N, Herault B, Zhao X, Zhang C, Routh D, GFBi Team, & Peay KG. (2019) Climatic controls over decomposition drive the global biogeography of forest tree symbioses. Nature 569: 404–408.
Talbot JM, Bruns TD, Taylor JW, Smith DP, Branco S, Glassman SI, Erlandson S, Vilgalys R, Liao HL, Smith ME, & Peay KG. (2014) Endemism and functional convergence across the North American soil mycobiome. PNAS 111:6341-6346
Peay KG, Schubert MG, Nguyen NH & Bruns TD. (2012) Measuring ectomycorrhizal fungal dispersal: macroecological patterns driven by microscopic propagules. Molecular Ecolology 16:4122-4136

Institution

Stanford University

Department

Department of Biology, Department of Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment

Education

PhD (Ecosystem Sciences), University of California, Berkeley
MESc (Environmental Sciences), Yale University
AB (East Asian Studies), University of California, Santa Barbara

Country

United States

Support Us

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) is a globally influential research organization proudly based in Canada. We mobilize the world’s most brilliant people across disciplines and at all career stages to advance transformative knowledge and solve humanity’s biggest problems, together. We are supported by the governments of Canada, Alberta and Québec, as well as Canadian and international foundations, individuals, corporations and partner organizations.

Donate Now

Follow Us