Assistant Professor Sara Branco along team of scientists at Duke University and the University of Wisconsin received funding from the Joint Genome Institute/Department Energy to develop the project ‘Functional Roles of Secondary Metabolites in Ectomycorrhizal Fungi’. The study will be led by Dr. Lotus Lofgren (Duke University) and this instrumentation grant ($165,000) will allow addressing important questions about the role of fungal secondary metabolites in the formation of plant-fungal mutualism, fungal competition, and whether and how symbioses act to overcome abiotic stress tolerance.