Sydney Everhart

Department Head & Associate Professor

Professional Credentials

  • USDA-AFRI-NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow, 2012-2014, Oregon State University
  • PhD, Plant Pathology, 2012, University of Georgia
  • MS, Biology (Ecology), 2007, University of Central Missouri
  • BS, Biology, 2005, University of Iowa

Courses

PLSC 5898-003 Special Topics: Success in the Sciences. Fall 2023, 3 cr.

PLSC 5897 Seminar. Every Spring, 1 cr.

Areas of Interest

  • Plant Pathology
  • Disease Management
  • Molecular Genetics

Research Projects/Interests

My lab is recognized for the application of molecular tools for elucidating the biology and epidemiology of fungal plant pathogens within agricultural systems, including current projects focused on diseases of broccoli and Christmas trees in Connecticut. In the last five years, I have been author or co-author on more than 20 papers in high impact journals within the field of plant pathology and over the past 10 years have been PI or co-PI on grants totaling more than $6M.  The long-term goal of research in my lab is to develop a better understanding of the biology of fungal plant pathogens, how that relates to disease management and the emergence of phenotypic traits, such as fungicide resistance.  Current research in my lab includes studies on important fungal plant pathogens, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Alternaria brassicicola, which affect several economically important crops in the United States.  In addition to research, I now teach a graduate course in professional development once per year called Success in the Sciences and am advisor to four graduate students (3 PhD and 1 MS), in addition to mentoring two postdoctoral scholars.  I am always looking for opportunities for new collaborations and will consider the possibility of advising new graduate students.

Administration

In addition to my teaching and research responsibilities, I also serve as the head of the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture.  As lead administrator, my objectives are to ensure faculty, staff, and students are successful in achieving the mission of our department, college, and institution.  Please contact me if you have questions about opportunities related to any of our mission areas in teaching, research, and Extension.

Websites

http://everhart.unl.edu/

X (Twitter) @sydney.everhart

Refereed Publications

** Denotes corresponding or co-corresponding author

Members of Everhart Lab denoted as:  undergrad student, graduate student,or postdoc

  1.         **Corresponding or co-corresponding authorMembers of Everhart Lab:  undergrad student, graduate student,or postdoc
    1. Nieto-Lopez, E., G. Cerritos-Garcia, R.A. Koch Bach, A. Petkar, C.D. Smart, C. Hoepting, D. Langston, S. Rideout, B. Dutta, and **S.E. Everhart. 2023. Species identification and fungicide sensitivity of fungi causing Alternaria leaf blight and head rot in cole crops in the Eastern U.S. Plant Disease. In press and online: doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-06-22-1318-SC
    2. Nieto-Lopez, N., J.J. Miorini, C.A. Wulkop-Gil, M. Chilvers, L.J. Giesler, T.A. Jackson-Ziems, M. Kabbage, D.S. Mueller, D.L. Smith, J.M. Tovar-Pedraza, J.F. Willbur, and **S.E. Everhart. 2023. Fungicide sensitivity of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum from U.S. soybean and dry bean, compared to different regions and climates. Plant Disease. In press and online: doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-07-22-1707-RE
    3. Da Silva, K.F., Burnham, J. Louis, D. Golick, and **S.E. Everhart. 2023. Nationwide assessment of leadership development for graduate students in the agricultural plant sciences. PLoS ONE 18(40): e0279216.
    4. Kodati, S., Gambhir, G. Yuen, A.O. Adesemoye, **S.E. Everhart. 2022. Diversity and aggressiveness of Rhizoctonia spp. From Nebraska on soybean and cross-pathogenicity to corn and wheat. Plant Disease. 106:2689-2700.
    5. Gambhir, N.,D. Harris, **S.E. Everhart., 2022. Evolutionary significance of fungal hypermutators: Lessons learned from clinical strains and implications for fungal plant pathogens. mSphere, pp.e00087-22.
    6. Matczyszyn, J.N., Harris, T., Powers, K., Everhart, S.E. and Powers, T.O., 2022. Ecological and morphological differentiation among COI haplotype groups in the plant parasitic nematode species. Journal of Nematology, 54(1), pp.1-24.
    7. Da Silva, K.F., Everhart, S.E. and Louis, J., 2021. Impact of maize hormonal interactions on the performance of Spodoptera frugiperda in plants infected with Clavibacter michiganensis nebraskensis. Arthropod-Plant Interactions, 15(5), pp.699-706.
    8. Everhart, S.E., Gambhir, R. Stamm. 2021. Population genomics of filamentous plant pathogens—A brief overview of research questions, approaches, and pitfalls. Phytopathology pp.PHYTO-11.
    9. Gambhir, N., Kodati, S., Huff, M., Silva, F., Ajayi-Oyetunde, O., Staton, M., Bradley, C., Adesemoye, A.O. and **Everhart, S.E., Prevention and detection of fungicide resistance development in Rhizoctonia zeae from soybean and corn in Nebraska. Plant Health Progress, pp.PHP-11.
    10. Gambhir, N.G., N. Kamvar, R. Higgins, B.S. Amaradasa, and S.E. Everhart**. 2021. Spontaneous and fungicide-induced genomic variation in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Phytopathology pp.PHYTO-10.
    11. Guven, H., Everhart, S.E., De Miccolis Angelini, R.M. and Ozkilinc, H., 2021. Genetic diversity assessments of brown rot pathogen Monilinia fructicola based on the six simple sequence repeat loci. Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection, 128(6), pp.1459-1465.
    12. Kodati, S., Adesemoye, A.O., Yuen, G.Y., Volesky, J.D. and **Everhart, S.E., Origin of agricultural plant pathogens: Diversity and pathogenicity of Rhizoctonia fungi associated with native prairie grasses in the Sandhills of Nebraska. PLoS ONE, 16(4), p.e0249335.
    13. Ony, M., Klingeman, W.E., Zobel, J., Trigiano, R.N., Ginzel, M., Nowicki, M., Boggess, S.L., Everhart, S. and Hadziabdic, D., 2021. Genetic diversity in North American Cercis canadensis reveals an ancient population bottleneck that originated after the last glacial maximum. Scientific Reports, 11(1), pp.1-16.
    14. Dundore-Arias, E.A. Eloe-Fadrosh, L.M. Schriml, G.A. Beattie, F.P. Brennan, P.E. Busby, R.B. Calderon, S.C. Castle, J.B. Emerson, S.E. Everhart, K. Eversole, K. Frost, J. Herr, A.J. Huerta, A.S. Iyer-Pascuzzi, A. Kalil, J.E. Leach, J. Leonard, J.E. Maul, B. Prithiviraj, M. Potrykus, N.R. Redekar, J.A. Rojas, K.A.T. Silverstein, D. Tomso, S. Tringle, B. Vinatzer, and L. Kinkel. 2020. Community-driven metadata standards for agricultural microbiome research. Phytobiomes 4: 115–121.
    15. Koehler‐Cole, K., S.E. Everhart, Y. Gu, C.A. Proctor, M. Marroquin‐Guzman, D.D. Redfearn, and R.W. Elmore. 2020. Is allelopathy from winter cover crops affecting row crops?. Agricultural & Environmental Letters, 5(1), e20015.
    16. Olgun, T., S.E. Everhart, T. Anderson, and J. Wu-Smart. 2020. Comparative analysis of viruses in four bee species collected from agricultural, urban, and natural landscapes. PLoS ONE, 15(6), p.e0234431.
    17. Sciarresi, C., C. Proctor, E.R. Haramoto, L.E. Lindsey, G.I. Carmona, R. Elmore, S.E. Everhart, W. Looker, M. Marroquin-Guzman, J. McMechan, J. Wehrbein, R. Werle, and M. Salmeron. 2020. Evaluating short-season soybean management adaptations for cover crop rotations with a crop simulation model. Field Crops Research 250: 107734.
    18. Ajayi, O.O., S.E. Everhart, P.J. Brown, A.U. Tenuta, A.E. Dorrance, and C. Bradley. 2019. Genetic structure of Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-2IIIB from soybean in Illinois, Ohio, and Ontario. Phytopathology 109:2132–2141.
    19. Dale, A.L., N. Feau, S.E. Everhart, G. Bilodeau, B. Dhillon, J. Tabima, C. Brasier, N. Grünwald, and R.C. Hamelin. 2019. Mitotic recombination and a two-speed genome drive evolution in asexual lineages of the sudden oak death pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. mBio 10.1128/mBio.02452-18.
    20. Kamvar, Z.N., and S.E. Everhart**. 2019. Something in the agar does not compute: On the discriminatory power of mycelial compatibility in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Tropical Plant Pathology. 44:32–40.
    21. Miorini, T.J.J., N. Kamvar, R. Higgins, C.G. Raetano, J.R. Steadman, and S.E. Everhart**. 2019. Variation in pathogen aggression and cultivar performance against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in soybean and dry bean from Brazil and the U.S. Tropical Plant Pathology. 44:73–81.
    22. Pannullo, A.P., N. Kamvar, T.J.J. Miorini, J.R. Steadman, and S.E. Everhart**. 2019. Genetic variation and structure of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum populations from soybean in Brazil. Tropical Plant Pathology 44:53–64.
    23. Bogo, A., C.C. Comparin, R.M.V. Sanhueza, P. Ritschel, R.T. Casa, F.N. Silva, and S.E. Everhart. 2018. Characterization of Neofabraea actinidiae and N. brasiliensis as causal agents of apple bull’s-eye rot in southern Brazil. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology DOI: 10.1080/07060661.2017.1421588
    24. Nieto-López, E.H., S.E. Everhart, V. Ayala-Escobar, M. Camacho-Tapia, N.B. Lima, R. Nieto-Angel, and J.M. Tovar-Pedraza. 2018. First report of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides causing anthracnose of tejocote (Crataegus gracilior) fruits in Mexico. Plant Disease. 102:1855.
    25. Dowling, M., G. Schnabel, H. Boatwright†, and S.E. Everhart**. 2017. Novel gene-sequence markers for isolate tracking within Monilinia fructicola lesions. Pest Management Science 73:1822–1829.
    26. Grünwald, N.J., S.E. Everhart, B.J. Knaus, and Z.N. Kamvar. 2017. Best practices for population genetic analyses. Phytopathology. 107:1000–1010.
    27. Kamvar, Z., Amaradasa, B.S., R. Jhala, S. McCoy, J.R. Steadman, and S.E. Everhart**. 2017. Population structure and phenotypic variation of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum from dry bean in the United States. PeerJ. 5:e4152 doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4152
    28. Miorini, T.J.J.,G. Raetano, and S.E. Everhart**. 2017. Control of white mold of dry bean and residual activity of fungicides applied by chemigation. Crop Protection. 94:192–202.
    29. Amaradasa, B.S., and S.E. Everhart**. 2016. Effects of sublethal fungicides on mutation rates and genomic variation in fungal plant pathogen, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. PLoS ONE. 11(12): e0168079. DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0168079.
    30. de Bem, B.P., A. Bogo, S.E. Everhart, R.T. Casa, M.J. Gonçalves, J.L. Marcon, L.R. Rufato, F.N. Silva, R. Allebrandt, and I.C. da Cunha. 2016. Effect of four training systems on the temporal dynamics of downy mildew in two grapevine cultivars in southern Brazil. Tropical Plant Pathology. DOI 10.1007/s40858-016-0110-8.
    31. Dowling, M., P.K. Bryson, H. Boatwright†, J.R. Wilson, Z. Fan, G. Schnabel, S.E. Everhart, and P. Brannen. 2016. Effect of fungicide application on Monilinia fructicola population diversity and transposon movement. Phytopathology 106:1504–1512.
    32. Dugan, F.M., and S.E. Everhart. 2016. Cryptic species: A leitmotif of contemporary mycology has challenges and benefits for plant pathologists. Plant Health Progress 17:250–253. DOI10.1094/PHP-RV-16-0046
    33. Tabima J.F., S.E. Everhart, M.M. Larsen, A.J. Weisberg, Z.N. Kamvar, M.A. Tancos, C.D. Smart, J.H. Chang, and N.J. Grünwald. 2016. Microbe-ID: An open source toolbox for microbial genotyping and species identification. PeerJ 4:e2279 DOI 10.7717/peerj.2279.
    34. Chen, F., S.E. Everhart^, P.K. Bryson, C.L., X. Song, X.L., G. Schnabel. 2015. Fungicide-induced transposon movement in Monilinia fructicola. Fungal Genetics and Biology 85:38–44.
    35. de Bem, B.P., Bogo, A., S.E. Everhart, R.T. Casa, M.J. Gonçalves, J.L.M. Filho, and I.C. da Cunha. 2015. Effect of Y-trellis and vertical shoot positioning training systems on downy mildew and botrytis bunch rot of grape in highlands of southern Brazil. Scientia Horticulturae 185:162–166.
    36. Everhart, S.E., and H. Scherm. 2015. Clonal disease foci of Monilinia fructicola during brown rot epidemics within peach tree canopies. 105:542–549.
    37. Everhart, S.E., Askew, L. Seymour, and H. Scherm. 2013. Spatio-temporal patterns of pre-harvest brown rot epidemics within individual peach tree canopies. European Journal of Plant Pathology 135:499–509.
    38. Everhart, S.E., Askew, L. Seymour, T.C. Glenn, and H. Scherm. 2012. Spatial patterns of brown rot epidemics and development of microsatellite markers for analyzing fine-scale genetic structure of Monilinia fructicola populations within peach tree canopies. Online. Plant Health Progress doi:10.1094/PHP-2012-0723-04-RS.
    39. Everhart, S.E., Askew, L. Seymour, I.J. Holb, and H. Scherm. 2011. Characterization of three-dimensional spatial aggregation and association patterns of brown rot symptoms within intensively mapped sour cherry trees. Annals of Botany 108:1195–1202.
    40. Everhart, S.E.** Upper canopy collection and identification of grapevines (Vitis) from the tree canopy of select forests in the southeastern United States. Castanea 75: 141–149.
    41. Keller, H.W., and S.E. Everhart 2010. Importance of Myxomycetes in biological research and teaching. Fungi 3(1):13–27.
    42. Everhart, S.E**., S. Ely, and H.W. Keller. 2009. Evaluation of tree canopy epiphytes and bark characteristics associated with corticolous myxomycetes. Botany 87:509–517.
    43. Keller, H.W., S.E. Everhart, M. Skrabal, and C.M. Kilgore. 2009. Tree canopy biodiversity in temperate forests: Exploring islands in the sky. Southeastern Biology 56:52–74.
    44. Everhart, S.E., and H.W. Keller. 2008. Influence of bark pH on the occurrence and distribution of tree canopy myxomycete species. Mycologia 100:191–204.
    45. Everhart, S.E., and H.W. Keller. 2008. Life history strategies of corticolous myxomycetes: The life cycle, fruiting bodies, plasmodial types, and taxonomic orders. Fungal Diversity 29:1–16.
    46. Keller, H.W., and S.E. Everhart 2008. Myxomycete species concepts, monotypic genera, the fossil record, and additional examples for good taxonomic practice. Revista Mexicana de Micologia 27:9–19.
    47. Keller, H.W., C.M. Kilgore, S.E. Everhart, G. Carmack, C. Crabtree, and A. Scarborough. 2008. Myxomycete plasmodia and fruiting bodies: Unusual occurrences and user friendly study techniques. Fungi 1:24–37.
    48. Kilgore, C.M., H.W. Keller, S.E. Everhart, A. Scarborough, K. Snell, M. Skrabal, C. Pottorff, and J.S. Ely. 2008. Tree canopy research and student experiences using the double rope climbing method. Journal of Botanical Research Institute of Texas 2:1309–1336.
Sydney Everhart
Contact Information
Emaileverhart@uconn.edu
Phone860-486-2925
860-776-3251
Office LocationWilfred B. Young Building (YNG) 133