Elizabeth Arnold (scientist)


A. Elizabeth "Betsy" Arnold is an American evolutionary biologist who is a professor at the University of Arizona's School of Plant Sciences and curator of the Robert L. Gilbertson Mycological Herbarium at the University of Arizona. She researches fungal biology, which is fungal endophytes, the study of fungi that lives in plants. She was elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2021.

Early life and education

In 1995, Arnold studied biology at Duke University. Her undergraduate thesis studied flower colour polymorphism. Her doctorate was at the University of Arizona, where she investigated fungal ecology, evolution, systematics and endophytes under the guidance of American botanist Lucinda A. McDade. Arnold then returned to Duke, where she was awarded a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship to work alongside François Lutzoni. After graduating from Duke, she spent a year working in Panama to further her research. Her research interests include community ecology, evolutionary ecology, mycology, tropical biology, and microbial ecology. In Panama, she worked at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Research and career

In 2005, Arnold was appointed to the faculty at the University of Arizona. She taught fungal biology to a wide range of people, such as: postdocs, graduate students, undergraduates, K-12 teachers, high school students, and lifelong learners. In 2015, she started as a curator at the Robert L. Gilbertson Mycological Herbarium, later getting promoted to professor. Currently, she is a professor for the School of Plant Sciences and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. She continues to research fungal endophytes, the very small fungi that live within plants without causing disease, uncovering both the remarkable diversity of endophytes and their potential applications in biotechnology. According to her 2007 study in Ecology, which examines the diversity and ecological functions of fungal endophytes in tropical ecosystems, these fungi are extremely varied and essential to plant resilience and health, especially in tropical leaves, which are hotspots for biodiversity. Her research has helped improve knowledge about plant and fungi interact actions in tropical settings. Arnold has studied these endophytes in trees, crop plants and shrubs in tropical rainforests and the arctic tundra. She has also studied hot deserts. In Winter 2021, Arnold was elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Arnold has been executive editor of Mycologia, and served on various MSA committees and published over 120 peer-reviewed papers. She has maintained and developed the Gilbertson Mycologia Herbarium. Her editorial roles include Executive Editor of Mycologia, Co-editor for the for the Coevolution section in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Associate Editor for the American Journal of Botany, and Subject Editor for Biotropica.
In 2021, Arnold was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her contributions to evolutionary biology and fungal ecology. Arnold has also been a recipient of the International Mycological Association's Arthur Henry Buller Medal

Awards and honors

Selected publications

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