July 5, 2017
The Necessity of Fungi
Graduate Researcher Sarah Unruh explores the essential role of fungi in orchid germination By Emily Kummerfeld | Bond LSC Graduate Researcher Sarah Unruh | photo by Emily Kummerfeld, Bond LSC The blooms of orchids are unmistakably beautiful, and how they reproduce has fascinated biologists for centuries. But, orchids might not even exist if not for the help of fungus. Up to 30,000 species of orchids require the intervention of fungi since their seeds do not contain the necessary nutrients to sprout. Sarah Unruh, a fifth-year biological sciences PhD student in the lab of Bond LSC’s Chris…
