Carmen Alicia Rivera Pérez

Education

Alicia grew up in Ambuquí Ecuador. After graduating from the Colegio Técnico “Valle del Chota” she moved to Alaska, USA as an Au Pair. There she studied English as a Second Language at the University of Alaska Anchorage and at Kodiak College. In 2011, she received a partial scholarship to study Biology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, USA. As a bachelor student, Alicia researched freshwater invertebrate communities in the backwaters of the Mississippi River while being a member of the laboratory of Dr. Gretchen Gerrish and intern of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center. After finishing her bachelor studies in 2014, she enrolled in the MSc. in Ecology program at the University of Bremen, Germany. For her master thesis, she investigated the diversity and metabolic activity of marine fungi in Wadden Sea sediments using DNA- and RNA-based methods in the laboratories of Dr. Marlis Reich and Prof. Dr. Michael W. Friedrich. Since 2017, Alicia joined the RTG2300 and the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Andrea Polle at the University of Göttingen. For her PhD project, she is utilizing molecular methods, stable isotopes and next generation sequencing to investigate fungal diversity and the role of ectomycorrhizal fungi in nitrogen acquisition of tree roots.

PhD Research Project

Molecular physiology of tree nutrition in mixed and mono-specific beech-conifer forests: interactions with mycorrhizae

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) mediate nutrient exchange between host plants and soil, playing an important role in the biogeochemical cycle of different elements. Currently, there is a limited amount of knowledge on the functional diversity of EMF in association with native and non-native tree species. The aim of this project is to gain understanding of the relationships between mycorrhizal fungal assemblages and tree nutrition in pure and mixed forest stands consisting of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies), and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). This project focuses on describing the fungal community structure, evaluating tree nitrogen uptake and retention in the ecosystem, and investigating the underlying mechanisms of fungal-root interactions in the context of water and nutrient availability.

Publications

Glatthorn J, Appleby S, Balkenhol N, Kriegel P, Likulunga LE, Lu JZ, Matevski D, Polle A, Riebl H, Rivera Pérez CA, Scheu S, Seinsche A, Schall P, Schuldt A, Wingender S, Ammer C (2023) Species diversity of forest floor biota in non-native Douglas-fir stands is similar to that of native stands. Ecosphere 14(7): e4609.

Rivera Pérez CA, Janz D, Schneider D, Daniel R, Polle A (2022) Transcriptional Landscape of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and Their Host Provide Insight into N Uptake from Forest Soil. mSystems 7: e00957-21.

Likulunga, E. L., Rivera Pérez, C. A., Schneider, D., Daniel, R., Polle, A. (2021). Forest tree species composition and abiotic site conditions drive soil fungal communities and functional groups. BioRxiv, 2021.07.21.453256. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.21.453256

Belby, Colin S., Rivera Pérez, C. A., Gerrish, Gretchen A. 2015. Understanding ecosystem change in Upper Mississippi River backwaters through geochemical and biological analyses of sediment cores. River Systems. 21: 163-181, https://doi.org/10.1127/rs/2015/0102.

Teaching

Laboratory course “Molecular Methods in Systems Biology: Statistical Computing and Transcriptomics.” Molecular Ecosystem Sciences BSc Program. Winter 2019/2020.
Laboratory course “Molecular Methods in Ecology.” RTG2300 Expert Knowledge Course for PhD students. Winter 2018/2019.
Practical session of the course “Ökophysiologie.” Forstwissenschaften und Waldökologie-Waldnaturschutz MSc Program. Summer 2018.

Co-Supervision

Bachelor Scientific Project “Evaluation of ammonium and nitrate extraction protocols from tree roots” and Practical Training in Laboratory Techniques. Molecular Ecosystem Sciences BSc Program. Summer 2019.
Master Thesis “Phosphor Aufnahme der Rotbuche bei einer Veränderung des Kohlenhydrat-Stoffwechsels” for the Forstwissenschaften und Waldökologie-Waldnaturschutz MSc Program. Winter 2020/2021 - Summer 2021.

Selected Presentations

Rivera Pérez, C. A. April 26th, 2021. Transcriptional reprogramming in mycorrhizal beech roots in forest soil by ammonium and nitrate. Forstbotanisches Seminar. University of Göttingen, Germany (Talk).
Rivera Pérez, C. A. October 29th, 2020. Transcriptional reprogramming in mycorrhizal beech roots in forest soil by ammonium and nitrate. Seminar Molekulare Pflanzenwissenschaften. University of Göttingen, Germany (Talk).
Rivera Pérez, C. A. February 3rd, 2020. Molecular physiology of tree nutrition in mixed and mono-specific beech-conifer forests: interaction with mycorrhizae. Forstbotanisches Seminar. University of Göttingen, Germany (Talk).
Rivera Pérez, C. A. and Polle, A. August 19th, 2019. Tree nutrition in mixed and pure forest stands. Summer school “Forest Resilience: Resilience of forest ecosystems under global change,” Davos, Switzerland (Poster).
Rivera Pérez C. A., Gerrish G. A., Belby, C. April 12th, 2013. Resurrection Ecology: measuring ecosystem recovery to disturbance using zooplankton egg banks. 27th National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR 2013) at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA (Talk).