BotanyNatalie Christian
2017 The Garden Club of America Fellowship in Tropical Botany

Natalie Christian is a PhD candidate in the Evolution, Ecology and Behavior Graduate Program at Indiana University Bloomington. Her project is titled “Understanding How Plant-endophyte Symbiotic Communities Assemble in Tropical Forests and Identifying the Genetic Mechanisms by which Endophytes Affect Host Well-being.” Her dissertation research takes place in Panama, where she will study the fungal microbiome of plant leaves. She will combine field collections with manipulative studies and total RNA (ribonucleic acid) sequencing to study how fungal communities are transmitted and assembled in nature to interact within their host and affect plant health.
Funded by the GCA Visiting Gardens Committee
The Garden Club of America Fellowship in Tropical Botany
To promote the preservation of tropical forests by enlarging the body of botanists with field experience.
Learn more See all recipients