Mr Dylan Chapman

Hons Student
Tree Protection Co-operative Programme

Research Interests

Phellinus species, of the Basidiomycetes, are wood-degrading tree pathogens responsible for more wood loss than any other wood-degrading fungus in the world.They are characterised by their brown,resupinate fruiting bodies emerging from the trunks of trees and often appear to be radially cracked. Under the supervision of Professor Jolanda Roux, and Doctor Martin P.A Coetzee, I am attempting to identify the distribution and diversity of Phellinus species occuring within South Africa and our neighbouring countries.No previous work has been done on this genus of the Basidiomycetes with approximately only four species in South Africa known thus far.Therefore, through the sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region(ITS), LSU and/or SSU of the various isolates, species level identification may be performed. Additionally, alignment of elongation factor 2 between same species may reveal variation within them. Should a novel species be identified, morphological characterisation may be performed.Thus, the distribution and abundance of Phellinus within South Africa and its neighbours may be better understood allowing for more research on this greatly under-studied fungal genus.

 

Educational background:Past,Present and Future.

 In 2009, I successfully completed my BSc in Microbiology and Biotechnology ,as well as Biochemistry and Cell biology at the University of the Witwatersrand.Currently, I am in the process of completing my BSc (Hons) in Microbiology with a strong interest in the many molecular applications available to researchers with a piqued curiosity towards the field of phylogenetics.I hope to complete my MSc in Biotechnology at the University of the Witwatersrand with a strong bias towards the use of recombinant  algae , specifically Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, for mainstream biotechnology - which are currently severely underestimated and as a result ,unexploited.