Yadugiri presented her research on mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi that she has begun as part of her doctoral work with principal investigator Mahesh Sankaran of the Ecology and Evolution Group at NCBS. A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant while endophytic fungi are those found in the shoots of plants. Mycorrhizae help in the uptake of soil nutrients in plants. Endophytic fungi often produce secondary metabolites or toxins which deter herbivores from foraging on the plant. Such associations between fungi and plants play an important role in patterns of herbivory and plant defense. “I plan to look at how things like herbivory, temperature rise and precipitation affect these fungi,” says Yadugiri. She plans to pursue this topic for her doctoral work. “I presented some preliminary work at ICOM7. I talked about how in the presence and absence of herbivory, fungal densities change, probably as a result of changes in plant investment in them,” she says. “It was amazing to see the diversity of work on mycorrhizae. I enjoyed myself a lot - it was a lot of fun talking to people from different places, getting to know their work and also more about their countries and culture.”