UC Research Profile - University of Canterbury

Miss Sarah Sapsford

Contact

Department: Biological Sciences

Email: sarah.sapsford@canterbury.ac.nz

Direct Dial: +64 3 3690176

Office:

Language: English

About

Research / Creative works

Methods & Equipment

Fields of Research

Fungal ecology
Disease ecology
Molecular ecology

Researcher Summary

I am a disease and fungal ecologist who focuses on the roles of fungi and pathogens in communities and ecosystems. I have particular interest in mycorrhizal fungi and using molecular tools to detect these fungi in the field.

I am currently involved in the belowground legacies of wilding pine invasions and the role of invasive fungi.

Subject Area: Disciplines

Biology: Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour: Ecology ; Microbiology ; Mycology ; Soil Science
Biology: Molecular, Cellular and Whole Organism Biology: Molecular Biology

Research/Scholarly/Creative Works

Journal Articles

Sapsford SJ. and Waller LP. (2020) Seeing the forest not just for its trees: exotic pathogens shift forest communities aboveground and belowground. New Phytologist 227(2): 283-285. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.16612.

Sapsford SJ., Brandt AJ., Davis KT., Peralta G., Dickie IA., Gibson RD., Green JL., Hulme PE., Nuñez MA. and Orwin KH. (2020) Towards a framework for understanding the context dependence of impacts of non-native tree species. Functional Ecology 34(5): 944-955. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13544.

Sapsford SJ., Paap T., Hopkins AJM., Hardy GESJ. and Burgess TI. (2020) Habitat fragmentation in a Mediterranean-type forest alters resident and propagule mycorrhizal fungal communities. Pedobiologia 78 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pedobi.2019.150611.

Sapsford SJ., Alford RA. and Schwarzkopf L. (2018) Disentangling causes of seasonal infection prevalence patterns: Tropical tadpoles and chytridiomycosis as a model system. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 130(2): 83-93. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/dao03269.

Sapsford SJ., Paap T., Hardy GESJ. and Burgess TI. (2017) The ‘chicken or the egg’: which comes first, forest tree decline or loss of mycorrhizae? Plant Ecology 218(9): 1093-1106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11258-017-0754-6.

Roznik EA., Sapsford SJ., Pike DA., Schwarzkopf L. and Alford RA. (2015) Condition-dependent reproductive effort in frogs infected by a widespread pathogen. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282(1810) http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.0694.

Roznik EA., Sapsford SJ., Pike DA., Schwarzkopf L. and Alford RA. (2015) Natural disturbance reduces disease risk in endangered rainforest frog populations. Scientific Reports 5 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep13472.

Sapsford SJ., Alford RA. and Schwarzkopf L. (2015) Visible implant elastomer as a viable marking technique for common mistfrogs (Litoria rheocola). Herpetologica 71(2): 96-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-13-00089.

Sapsford SJ., Voordouw MJ., Alford RA. and Schwarzkopf L. (2015) Infection dynamics in frog populations with different histories of decline caused by a deadly disease. Oecologia 179(4): 1099-1110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3422-3.

Sapsford SJ., Roznik EA., Alford RA. and Schwarzkopf L. (2014) Visible implant elastomer marking does not affect short-term movements or survival rates of the treefrog litoria rheocola. Herpetologica 70(1): 23-33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-13-0004.

Sapsford SJ., Alford RA. and Schwarzkopf L. (2013) Elevation, temperature, and aquatic connectivity all influence the infection dynamics of the amphibian chytrid fungus in adult frogs. PLoS ONE 8(12) http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0082425.

Key Methodologies

R
Next generation DNA sequencing
Molecular tools for extracting and amplifying DNA