معرفی
Terry Henkel serves as a Professor of Botany within the Department of Biological Sciences at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, where he conducts groundbreaking research on fungal biodiversity and ecological relationships in tropical ecosystems and California forests. His work bridges fundamental mycology with critical environmental questions about forest community dynamics.
His academic journey began with a BA in Botany from Ohio University (1983), followed by an MS in Botany from the University of Wyoming (1988), and culminated in a PhD in Botany from Duke University (2001). This strong foundation in plant sciences propelled his specialization in fungal ecology.
Dr. Henkel's research program centers on macrofungal biodiversity in two critical global regions: the Guiana Shield of South America and the Guineo-Congolian rainforests of Central Africa. He investigates ectomycorrhizal associations between fungi and trees like Dicymbe, exploring how these symbiotic relationships shape forest composition. Concurrently, his lab examines native forest pathogenic fungi in northern California's coniferous ecosystems, documenting their often-overlooked roles in forest community dynamics and succession. This dual-geography approach provides unique insights into fungal ecology across diverse biomes.
Analysis of his recent publications reveals a dominant focus on tropical fungal taxonomy, particularly describing new species from Guyana and Cameroon, and elucidating ecological patterns in Amazonian tree-fungal networks. His work consistently emphasizes field-based discovery in remote regions, with strong methodological integration of molecular phylogenetics and ecological modeling to understand biodiversity patterns and community assembly processes.
Dr. Henkel maintains an active graduate mentoring program with both current and former students, and has secured significant collaborative research funding including the NSF-supported project on Diversity and Evolution of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi of the Guineo-Congolian Rainforest. His students' research spans lichen conservation, endangered plant species, fungal systematics, and forest pathology.
- Current Students: Sarah Norvell (Lichen diversity of Horse Mountain Botanical Area), Caitlyn Allchin (Conservation biology of Lassic lupine)
- Former Students: Jordan Mayor, Lance Woolley, Tara Fulgenzi, Ashley Hawkins, Jessie Uehling, Arthur Grupe II, Carolyn Delevich, Kennan Mighell
He directs major international research initiatives including the Guiana Shield Project and Guineo-Congolian Project under the Macrofungi of Northern Gondwana framework, which coordinate field expeditions, specimen collection, and cross-continental biodiversity analyses in some of Earth's most biologically rich yet understudied ecosystems.
