معرفی
Bryn Dentinger serves as Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences and Curator of Mycology at the Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah. His research program focuses on documenting, describing, and understanding the origin and evolution of global fungal diversity through collections-based studies that integrate fieldwork with molecular data.
Dentinger received his PhD from the University of Minnesota, where he specialized in the molecular systematics of clavarioid and porcini mushrooms. Since completing his doctorate, he has conducted extensive fieldwork across diverse ecosystems worldwide, including significant collecting trips to Vietnam, Brazil, and Cameroon, contributing to the global understanding of fungal biodiversity.
His research spans multiple disciplines including molecular ecology, comparative genomics, historical biogeography, coevolution, taxonomy, and conservation biology. The Dentinger Lab employs a diverse methodological toolkit ranging from traditional field experiments to cutting-edge high-throughput sequencing, microscopy, culturing techniques, and molecular phylogenetics. Key research interests include fungal evolution and biodiversity, tropical biology, molecular systematics/phylogenomics, and the intricate mutualisms between fungi and plants or insects.
Analysis of Dentinger's recent publication record reveals a strong emphasis on fungal phylogenomics, particularly concerning Boletaceae (porcini mushrooms) and psychedelic fungi. His work increasingly integrates genomic approaches to unravel patterns of speciation, domestication processes in ant-fungus mutualisms, and the biogeographic history of fungal lineages across continents.
Dentinger has secured research funding from prestigious sources including the National Science Foundation and National Geographic Society, particularly for projects investigating ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical rainforests. His lab currently supports both graduate and undergraduate researchers in diverse aspects of fungal biodiversity and evolution.
As principal investigator of the Dentinger Lab, he oversees multiple research initiatives including the NSF-funded project on Diversity and Evolution of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi in the Guineo-Congolian Rainforest, investigations into cryptic specialization in porcini mushrooms, and studies on the evolutionary history of coral mushrooms cultivated by fungus-farming ants. The lab's approach combines global fieldwork with sophisticated molecular analysis to document and understand fungal diversity across ecosystems.
