Mr Mathew Harris
| PhD student | |
Department |
|
FABI |
|
| Full CV | |
| This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | |
My Supervisor/s
| Primary Supervisor | |
| Michelle Greve | |
Co Supervisor |
|
| Martin Kemler | |
| Bernard Slippers |
I completed my BSc Environmental Sciences undergraduate degree in 2016 at the University of Pretoria. Thereafter, I set out to a BSc (Honours) degree, in ecology, within the department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Pretoria. My Honours research project explored the responses of bird communities to a slightly degraded land-use, i.e. communal rangelands in the Orpen region of the Kruger National Park and compared these bird assemblages to those within nature reserves.
I joined FABI in 2018 to start my MSc. For my MSc I looked to characterise patterns in fungal community ecology from local to global scales. In particular I reviewed the current state of knowledge for fungal biogeography and explored an important ecological phenomenon (successional patterns) for foliar fungal endophyte communities.
Upon completion of my MSc in 2020 I have decided to continue with a PhD at FABI where my project will explore the ecology of grass-associated fungal endophytes and the role they play in driving various ecosystem processes.
Publications
- Harris, M.A., M.D., Voysey, S-L., Jamison, M., Greve., 2019. Changes in bird assemblages because of vegetation homogenisation in communal livestock systems. KOEDOE. 61(1), a1543, https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v61i1.1543
- Jamison-Daniels, S-L., W.D., Kissling, M., Botha, M.A., Harris, C.E., Gordon, M., Greve., 2020. The role of deterministic succession during forest development within a southern African savanna. Biotropica. 53(2):466-476,
- Cowan, D.A., P.H., Lebre, C.E.R., Amon, R.W., Becker, H.I., Boga, A. Boulange, T.L., Chiyaka, T., Coetzee, P.C., de Jager, O., Dikinya, F., Eckardt, M., Greve, M.A., Harris, D.W., Hopkins, H.B., Houngnandan, P., Houngnandan, K., Jordaan, E., Kaimoyo, A.K., Kambura, G., Kamgan-Nkuekam, T.P., Makhalanyane, G., Maggs-Kolling, E., Marais, H., Mondlane, E., Nghalipo, B.W., Olivier, M., Ortiz, L.R., Pertierra, J-B., Ramond, M., Seely, I., Sithole-Niang, A., Valverde, G., Varliero, S., Vikram, D.H., Wall, A., Zeze, 2022. Biogeographical survey of soil microbiomes across sub-Saharan Africa: structure, drivers, and predicted climate-driven changes. Microbiome. 10(131), https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-022-01297-w
- Harris, M.A., M., Kemler, B., Slippers, S-L., Jamison-Daniels, F., Witfeld, M., Botha, D., Begerow, A., Brachmann, M., Greve, 2023. Deterministic processes have limited impacts on foliar fungal endophyte communities along a savanna-forest successional gradient. Fungal Ecology. 64, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funeco.2023.101249
Conference presentations
- Savanna Science Network Meeting (2018), "Avian responses to communal livestock systems" - Speed presentation
- BIMF-FBIP Forum (2019), "Fungal biogeography and the use of publicly available data for answering biogeographic questions" - Student presentation
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences symposium (2019), "Do fungal communities mirror the successional trends of woody communities" - Presentation
- South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) conference (2020), "Do foliar fungal communities mirror the successional trends of woody communities" - Poster and speed presentation
- Mycological Society of America (MSA) virtual symposium (2020), "Deterministic processes influence foliar fungal endophyte communities within a forest successional gradient" - Graphical abstract
- University of Oxford's Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution virtual conference (2021), "Successional trends, community composition and species richness patterns of foliar fungal endophytes within a forest successional gradient" - Poster
Awards
2017 - H.G.W.J. Schweickerdt medal for the best BSc. (Hons) Plant Sciences student based on final average mark for the year
2018 - Academic honorary colours from the University of Pretoria's SRC (82% average for BSc. (Hons) Plant Sciences)
2018 - FABI Awards (best photograph of the year award)
My Galeries
My Journal Articles
| Publication |
|---|
| Harris MA, Slippers B, Kemler M, Greve M. (2023) Opportunities for diversified usage of metabarcoding data for fungal biogeography through increased metadata quality. Fungal Biology Reviews 46:100329.
10.1016/j.fbr.2023.100329 |
| Harris MA, Kemler M, Slippers B, Jamison-Daniel S-L, Witfeld F, Botha M, Begerow D, Brachmann A, Greve M. (2023) Deterministic processes have limited impacts on foliar fungal endophyte communities along a savanna-forest successional gradient. Fungal Ecology 64:101249.
10.1016/j.funeco.2023.101249 |
| Jamison-Daniels SL, Kissling WD, Botha M, Harris MA, Gordon CE, Greve M. (2021) The role of deterministic succession during forest development within a southern African savanna. bioTropica 53(2):466-476.
10.1111/btp.12890 |