Professor
Department of Plant Pathology
North Carolina State University

Website 
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Bird has broad research interests that include: nematode biology and development; genome organization and evolution; structure-function relationships; host-parasite interactions; evolution of parasitism; host responses and resistance/susceptibility to pathogens; plant development. Over the years, his research has gradually shifted from studies of vertebrates, to invertebrates, then to plants, particularly the model legumes Lotus japonicus and Medicago truncatula. His current program emphasizes cellular, genetic and genomic approaches to understand the molecular basis of nematode-plant interactions.

Nematodes are a nearly ubiquitous life form. Numerically they account for up to 80% of all animals, and they occupy all ecological niches. It is likely that all vascular plants serve as hosts for at least one parasitic nematode species. Bird’s group is particularly interested in the root-knot (Meloidogyne spp.) and cyst (Heterodera and Globodera spp.) nematodes, because not only do they cause the vast majority of the annual $US100bn in crop damage inflicted by nematodes, but they also have the most intimate and complex interactions with their hosts. Understanding the basis for the host-parasite interaction is a major goal of the group. Given the striking morphological conservation of nematodes, mechanisms for parasitism might also be conserved cross-phylum. Indeed, plant and animal parasitic nematodes face similar challenges to successful reproduction in their respective hosts and may predict universal paradigms for parasitism. To begin to address such questions, Bird’s group (together with national and international collaborators) has obtained large numbers of ESTs from Meloidogyne and related species, and he is one of the leaders of the M. hapla sequencing consortium. Remarkably, initial examination of these datasets points to a large and diverse genespace for distinct species. Understanding how the genetic complement of nematodes is implemented to produce the biology necessary for parasitic ecology will be a major aspect of Bird’s future research.