Does the idea of learning more about very small living things, such as bacteria and fungi, appeal to you? Do you want to work in a relevant and applied field? If you are one of those people who look at a microscope and see infinite possibilities, you may want to join the likes of microbiologist and NSTF-BHP Billiton Award winner Dr Marieka Gryzenhout.

Dr Gryzenhout is a senior lecturer in the Department of Plants and Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS). As she explains, a microbiologist is someone who investigates the growth, characteristics and classification of microbes (a microbe is a microscopic organism, such as a bacterium, virus or fungus. Microbes are so small that you need to use a microscope and special techniques to see them). Dr Gryzenhout’s field of interest in microbiology is mycology. She specialises in those fungi that affect plants, and this links to another field of specialisation, namely plant pathology.

What is the difference between mycology and plant pathology?

According to Dr Gryzenhout, mycology is the scientific study of fungi (the plural of fungus) while plant pathology is the study of plant diseases that are caused by microbes and insects. “Mycology and plant pathology are not synonymous, although they do overlap. A plant pathologist can be thought of as a plant doctor,” she explains. “They need to heal plants and prevent diseases, and work closely with growers, farmers and plantation owners.”

Dr Gryzenhout completed her PhD in Microbiology at the University of Pretoria, and is best known for her contributions to fungal systematics. (Systematics is the science that discovers, describes, and classifies all organisms.) She has an impressive international reputation in mycology, established while she was still a student. She completed all her degrees in a short space of time, all cum laude (a Latin term which means to graduate with honour).

Why choose a career in microbiology or plant pathology?
“At school I was not particularly interested in studying things like mosses and bread mould; when I was doing biology at university we were introduced to microbiology and that peaked my interest,” she explains. “For my postgraduate career I had to choose between microbiology and genetics; Prof Mike Wingfield, the lecturer who presented the mycology course (and also the very first winner of the Individual category of the National Science and Technology Forum Awards in 1998), made mycology come alive and I also worked in his lab. The fungi just caught my attention; they are very different from any other type of microbe. Prof Wingfield also introduced me to plant pathology (more specifically tree pathology), especially the art and importance of it.

Part of Dr Gryzenhout’s research involves the study of fungi that infect and affect plants.
She has used systematics to study the pathological significance, myco-geography and movement, biodiversity, and ecological roles of fungi in plants. The aim of her PhD study was to revise and reclassify certain fungi based on their outward appearance and genetic relatedness, for example. This new family of fungi, the Cryphonectriaceae, includes a number of lethal members that have wreaked havoc on eucalyptus, oak and chestnut trees around the world. The new system of classification and identification serves as the foundation for future work by mycologists.