Amanda Broz

Colorado State University
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
1173 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523
Phone: (970) 491-4226
E-mail: akbroz@lamar.colostate.edu

Education:

MS, Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia (2005)

THESIS: Structural and functional analysis of three distinct forms of dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase from Arabidopsis thaliana

BS, Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia (2001)--Departmental Honors

Research Interests:
I am interested in determining the relative influences of genetic variation and gene expression on plant invasion. If invasive plants are found to have similar genotypes to their corresponding natives, I would like to explore the idea that changes in gene expression are leading to observed phenotypic differences between native and invasive plants. I want to determine if changes in gene expression can have a greater influence on invasive behavior than genetic change or fast evolution. I am also interested in investigating microorganisms that interact with plants in their native and invasive range. I hope to characterize these different soil environments and look for specific plant-microbe interactions that influence the relative success of invasive species. By understanding the mechanisms surrounding the success of invasive plants, we will be able to develop more efficient ways to control invasion and rehabilitate areas infested with these species.

Selected Publications:

Broz AK, Thelen JT, Muszynski MG, Miernyk JA, and Randall DD. 2001. ZMPP2, a novel type-2C protein phosphatase from maize. Journal of Experimental Botany 52, 1739-1740.

Broz AK, Schultz MJ, Perry LG, Paschke MW, Vivanco JM. 2006. Secondary
Metabolites and Allelopathy in Plant Invasions: A case study of Centaurea
maculosa. In: A companion to Plant Physiology, fourth edition online, essay
13.7, Taiz L and Zeiger E. Sinauer publishing.

Broz AK, Manter DK, Vivanco JM. 2007. Soil fungal abundance and diversity;
another victim of the invasive plant Centaurea maculosa. ISME Journal 1, 763-765.

Broz AK, Broeckling CB, He J, Dai X, Zhao PX, Vivanco JM. 2007. A first step in understanding an invasive weed through its genes: an EST analysis of
invasive Centaurea maculosa. BMC Plant Biology 7, 25.

Broeckling CB, Broz AK, Bergelson J, Manter DK, Vivanco JM. 2008. Root
exudates regulate soil fungal community composition and diversity. Applied
and Environmental Microbiology 74, 738-744.

*

Broz AK, Manter DK, Bowman G, Muller-Scharer H, Vivanco JM. Reduced
expression of defense-related transcripts of an invasive weed in its introduced range. Submitted.

Broz AK, Callaway RM, Paschke MW, Manter DK, Vivanco JM. A Molecular Approach to Understanding Plant-Plant Interactions in the Context of Invasion Biology. Submitted.

Broz AK, Mooney BP, Johnston ML, Tovar-Mendez AT, Miernyk JA, Randall DD. Novel roles for the mono- and di-lipoyl forms of dihydrolipoamide
acetyltransferase in assembly and regulation of the mitochondrial pyruvate
dehydrogenase complex. In preparation.