Dr. Blessing Durodola

My research focuses on the microbiomes of forest and urban tree species. With a special focus on the Giant sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum). I investigate the associated fungal family Botryosphaeriaceae. This family threatens non-native host trees in Germany, particularly within the context of climate change. Further, I am interested in the interactions of microorganisms with their host tree and how extreme weather conditions challenge the resilience of trees against fungal pathogens. In my projects, I combine classical isolation approaches and metagenomics. My research also involves identifying candidate genes responsible for defense mechanisms and analyzing the expression of these genes and fungi using transcriptomics and quantitative PCR.