B.S., 2006, Rice University

Ph.D., 2012, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow, 2012-2015, University of Mississippi

Postdoctoral Fellow, 2015-2016, National Institute of Mathematical and Biological Synthesis

Rúa lab website

http://meganrua.com

BIO4240/6240: Ecology and Evolution of Disease (Fall)

BIO 2130/BIO 2130L: Ecology and Evolution/Lab (Spring)

BIO 4920: Senior Seminar (alternating Fall) 

*Undergraduate under my supervision 

Rúa, M.A., Antonika, A., Antunes, P.M., Chaudray, V.B., Gehring, C., Lamit, L.J., Piculell, B.P.,  Bever, J., Zabinski, C.,  Meadow, J.F., Lajeunesse, M., Milligan, B., Karst, J., Hoeksema, J.D. 2016. Home-field advantage? Mycorrhizal type and geographic origin determine outcomes of local adaptation among plants, soil, and mycorrhizal fungi. BMC Evolutionary Biology 16, 1-15. doi: 10.1186/s12862-016-0698-9.

Chaudhary, V.B., M.A. Rúa, A. Antoninka, J.D. Bever, J. Cannon, A. Craig, J. Duchicela, A. Frame, M. Gardes, C. Gehring, M. Ha, M. Hart, J. Hopkins, B. Ji, N. C. Johnson, W. Kaonongbua, Ju. Karst, R. Koide, L. Lamit, J. Meadow, B. Milligan, J. Moore, T. Pendergast, B. Piculell, B. Ramsby, S. Simard, S. Shrestha, J. Umbanhowar, W. Viechtbauer, L. Walters, G. Wilson, P. Zee, J.D. Hoeksema. 2016. “MycoDB, a global database of plant response to mycorrhizal fungi,” Scientific Data. 3:160028
 
Rúa, M.A., Wilson, E.C., Steele, S.*, Munters, A.R.*, Hoeksema, J.D., Frank, A.C. 2016. Ectomycorrhizal fungi structure the bacterial needle endophyte microbiota in Pinus radiata: implications for biotic selection of microbial communities. Frontiers in Microbiology. 7:399. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00399
 
Rúa, M.A., Moore, B.*, Hergott, N., Van, L.*, Jackson, C.R., Hoeksema, J.D. 2015. Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities and enzymatic activities vary across an ecotone between a forest and field. Journal of Fungi.1(2):185-210.
 
Whitaker, B.*, Rúa, M.A., Mitchell, C.E. 2015. Viral pathogen production in a wild grass host driven by host growth and soil nitrogen. New Phytologist. 207(3):760-768.
 
Yamamichi, M., Meunier, C.L., Peace, A., Prater, C., Rúa, M.A. 2015. Rapid evolution of a consumer stoichiometric trait destabilizes consumer-producer dynamics. Oikos. 124:960-969.
 
Rúa, M.A. & Umbanhowar, J. 2015. The effect of mutualists on pathogen-host dynamics. Theoretical Ecology. 8(1):133-148.
 
Cronin, J.P., Rúa, M.A., Mitchell, C.E. 2014. Why is living fast dangerous? Disentangling the roles of resistance and tolerance of disease. American Naturalist. 184:172-187.
 
Rúa, M.A., McCulley, R.L., Mitchell, C.E. 2014. Climate drivers, host identity, and fungal endophyte infection determine virus prevalence in a grassland ecosystem. Journal of Ecology. 102:690-699.
 
Rúa, M.A., McCulley, R.L., Mitchell, C.E. 2013. Fungal endophyte infection and host genetic background jointly modulate host response to an aphid-transmitted viral pathogen. Journal of Ecology. 101:1007-1018.
 
Rúa, M.A., Umbanhowar, J., Hu, S., Burkey, K., Mitchell, C.E. 2013. "Elevated CO₂ spurs reciprocal positive effects between a plant virus and an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus.” New Phytologist. 199:541-549.
 
Rúa M.A., Pollina E.C., Power A.G., Mitchell C.E. 2011. The role of viruses in biological invasions: friend or foe? Current Opinion in Virology. 1:68-72.
 
Rudgers, J.A., Savage, A.M., Rúa, M.A. 2010. Geographic variation in a facultative mutualism alters local arthropod diversity. Oecologia. 163:985-96.
 
Rudgers, J.A., Afkhami, M.E., Rúa, M.A., Davitt, A.J., Hammer, S., Huguet, V.  2009. Why ecologists should consider endophytes: broad patterns of endophyte distribution in the grasses. Ecology. 90:1531-1539.