James Lawrey, Ph.D

Dr. Lawrey's research deals with ecology, systematics and evolution of lichens and lichen-associated fungi. He is presently investigating the phylogeny and systematics of the tropical basidiolichen genus Dictyonema and a number of groups of anamorphic lichenicolous fungi. This work is currently being funded by the National Science Foundation. He has also done research on the use of lichens as biomonitors of atmospheric quality. This work has been funded largely by the USDA Forest Service and the National Park Service. He is author of Biology of Lichenized Fungi and over 60 other book chapters and journal articles. Dr. Lawrey teaches undergraduate courses in plant biology and evolution, and graduate courses in environmental biology and plant ecology. He is past-president of the American Bryological and Lichenological Society, the Botanical Society of Washington and the Washington Biologists' Field Club.

UNDERGRADUATE:

Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC1967-71 B.S., Biology

GRADUATE:

                                             University of South Dakota
                                             Vermillion, SD                              1971-73 M.A., Biology

                                             The Ohio State University
                                             Columbus, OH                              1973-77 Ph.D., Botany


EMPLOYMENT


Assistant Professor of Biology          1977-82          George Mason University

Associate Professor of Biology         1982-93          George Mason University

Professor of Biology                       1993-              George Mason University

Lawrey, J. D., R. Lücking, R., H. J. M. Sipman, J. L. Chavez, S. A. Redhead, F. Bungartz, M. Sikaroodi, and P. M. Gillevet. 2009. High concentration of basidiolichens in a single family of agaricoid mushrooms (Basidiomycota: Agaricales: Hygrophoraceae). Mycological Research 113: 1154-1171.

Lücking, R., J. D. Lawrey, M. Sikaroodi, P. M. Gillevet, J. L. Chaves, H. J. M. Sipman, F. Bungartz. 2009. Do lichens domesticate photobionts like farmers domesticate crops? Evidence from a previously unrecognized lineage of filamentous cyanobacteria. American Journal of Botany 96: 1409-1418.

Ertz, D., J. D. Lawrey, M. Sikaroodi, P. M. Gillevet, E. Fischer, D. Killmann, E. Sérusiaux. 2008. A new lineage of lichenized basidiomycetes inferred from a two genes phylogeny: the Lepidostromataceae with three species from the tropics. American Journal of Botany 95: 1548-1556.

Lawrey, J. D., P. Diederich, M. Sikaroodi and P. M. Gillevet. 2008. Remarkable nutritional diversity of basidiomycetes in the Corticiales, including a new foliicolous species of Marchandiomyces (anamorphic Basidiomycota, Corticiaceae) from Australia. American Journal of Botany 95: 816-823.

Diederich, P. and J. Lawrey. 2007. New lichenicolous, muscicolous, corticolous and lignicolous taxa of Burgoa s. l. and Marchandiomyces s. l. (anamorphic Basidiomycota), a new genus for Omphalina foliacea, and a catalogue and a key to the non-lichenized, bulbilliferous basidiomycetes. Mycological Progress 6: 61-80.

Lawrey, J. D., M. Binder, P. Diederich, M. C. Molina, M. Sikaroodi and D. Ertz. 2007. Phylogenetic diversity of lichen-associated homobasidiomycetes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 44: 778-789.

Molina, M. C., P. T. DePriest and J. D. Lawrey. 2005. Genetic variation in the widespread lichenicolous fungus Marchandiomyces corallinus. Mycologia 97: 454-463.

DePriest, P. T., M. Sikaroodi, J. D. Lawrey and P. Diederich. 2005. Marchandiomyces lignicola sp. nov. shows recent and repeated transition between a lignicolous and a lichenicolous habit. Mycological Research 109: 57-70.

Lawrey, J. D. and P. Diederich. 2003. Lichenicolous fungi: interactions, evolution and biodiversity. The Bryologist 106: 80-120.

Torzilli, A. P., S. Balakrishna, K. O’Donnell & J. D. Lawrey. 2002. The degradative activity of a lichenicolous Fusarium sp. compared to related entomogenous species. Mycological Research 106: 1204-1210.

Sikaroodi, M., J. D. Lawrey, D. L. Hawksworth and P. T. DePriest. 2001. The phylogenetic position of selected lichenicolous fungi: Hobsonia, Illosporium and Marchandiomyces. Mycological Research 105: 453-460.

Lawrey, J. D. 2000. Chemical interactions between two lichen-degrading fungi. Journal of Chemical Ecology 26: 1821-1831.

Lawrey, J. D., A. P. Torzilli & V. Chandhoke. 1999. Destruction of lichen chemical defenses by a fungal pathogen. American Journal of Botany 86: 184-189.

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

  • Biomonitoring of atmospheric quality
  • Symbiosis
  • Lichen biology
  • Mycology and mycoparasites
  • Fungal chemical ecology

RECENT RESEARCH PROJECTS:

COURSES TAUGHT:

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