Latina Penkova-Linking and Bethany Robson. SVIMS October 1 2026 Meeting.

The Thursday, October 1 2026 SVIMS meeting is a two-fer presentation by a pair of young up-and-coming mycologists currently at the University of Victoria. We meet at Pacific Forestry Centre, 506 Burnside Road West, Victoria. Doors open at 6:30 for 7:00 pm start.

Bethany Robson is a graduate student studying Forest Biology at the University of Victoria. She became fascinated with the intersection between stress physiology in trees and mycology in her undergrad, but her love of forests and fungi started when she was very wee.

When she’s not in the lab, she is running, gardening, cooking, or gaming with her crew. Bethany is also passionate about getting kids into STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). She has been the President of the Society for Advancement of Young Scientists since 2023, a non-profit that encourages youth on Southern Vancouver Island to explore the world around them through scientific research.

Presentation

Title: Bucket Chemistry: Using aeroponics to investigate the impact of mycorrhizal fungi on root compounds produced under drought stress

Description: British Columbia is experiencing more frequent drought events, likely due to climate change. Many of our native tree species are not drought tolerant, including Western Redcedar and Bigleaf Maple. Symbiotic (mycorrhizal) fungi reduce drought stress symptoms in many plants, but how and why is not well understood. Plant roots and their mycorrhizae often exude helpful compounds called osmolytes when drought stressed, but these are hard to study because they are produced in an underground environment. In her project, Bethany used a new method–aeroponics–to better understand whether mycorrhizal association in Redcedar and Maple roots improved osmolyte production.

Latina Penkova-Linking is currently completing her Masters at the University of Victoria under the supervision of Dr. Marty Kranabetter and Dr. Barbara Hawkins. She studies fungal enzymes associated with lignin decomposition. During her undergraduate degree, she worked with Dr. Melanie Jones and Dr. Dan Durall, comparing fungal fruiting body communities between an old-growth forest and adjacent clear-cuts 27 years post-harvest.

Her fascination with fungi began long before her research. Growing up in Eastern Europe where mushroom foraging is deeply ingrained in culture and community, she developed a love for exploring forest floors and discovering what grows there. Fungi have remained her greatest curiosity ever since. 

Presentation

Title: Linking Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Species, Manganese Peroxidase Genes, and their Enzymatic Activity in Coastal Douglas-fir Forests.

Description: Forests are some of our most important carbon stores, but what happens beneath the forest floor can determine whether that carbon stays locked away in the soil or is released back into the environment. Fungi are major players in this process. Ectomycorrhizal fungi form partnerships with trees, exchanging nutrients from the soil for carbon produced by their hosts. Traditionally, the work of decomposing dead plant material has been attributed largely to saprotrophic fungi, the forest’s decomposers, while ectomycorrhizal fungi were viewed primarily as nutrient-trading partners of trees. However, growing evidence suggests that some ectomycorrhizal fungi have retained part of the decomposing machinery of their saprotrophic ancestors. This challenges the idea of a clear divide between fungal decomposers and tree symbionts and instead suggests that decomposition ability may exist along a continuum.
 
Latina’s research explores whether certain ectomycorrhizal fungi can help break down tough organic matter, like lignin, using enzymes such as manganese peroxidase. Working in coastal Douglas-fir forests on southern Vancouver Island, she combines DNA sequencing with enzyme assays to investigate which ectomycorrhizal fungi are potential enzyme producers and what genes associated with decomposition they possess.