Field, Katie J, Professor

Professor Katie J Field

School of Biosciences

Professor of Plant-Soil Processes

k.j.field@sheffield.ac.uk

A01 Lab A10, Arthur Willis Environment Centre

Full contact details

Professor Katie J Field
School of Biosciences
A01 Lab A10
Arthur Willis Environment Centre
Maxfield Avenue
91ֱ��
S10 1AE

Profile

June 2020 - present: Professor of Plant-Soil Processes, School of Biosciences, University of 91ֱ��
July 2019 – May 2020: Professor of Plant-Soil Interactions, School of Biology, University of Leeds
Oct. 2017 – June 2019: Associate Professor in Plant-Soil Processes, School of Biology, University of Leeds
Jan. 2016 – 2021: BBSRC Translational Fellow, School of Biology, University of Leeds
Aug. 2015 – 2017: University Academic Fellow in Plant-Soil Processes, School of Biology, University of Leeds
Jan. – Jun. 2015: Patrick and Irwin-Packington Fellow, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of 91ֱ��
2012 – 2014: Postdoctoral Research Associate (NERC), Researcher/Co-I. Dept. Animal and Plant Sciences, University of 91ֱ��. Collaboration with: NHM London, RGB Kew and Imperial College, London.
2009 – 2012: Postdoctoral Research Associate (NERC), Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of 91ֱ��
2005 – 2008: PhD, University of 91ֱ��
2002 - 2005: BSc, Plant Sciences, University of Durham

Research interests

Plant-fungal symbioses and their applications in sustainable agriculture

Today, it is estimated that more than 80% of land plants, representing over 90% of plant families, form nutritional symbioses with soil-dwelling fungi. These associations are known as ‘mycorrhiza’, or ‘mycorrhiza-like’ in plants without roots. Through these associations, plants assimilate fungal-acquired mineral nutrients from beyond root depletion zones. In return, plants supply their fungal partners with carbohydrates fixed from atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.

Many key crop species have been shown to be able to form mutualistic symbioses with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. This is leading to the development of novel approaches in crop breeding and agricultural practices, encouraging the formation of mycorrhizal associations and utilisation of previously plant-inaccessible soil phosphorus pools. Research has shown that the efficiency by which plant-fixed carbon is exchanged for fungal-acquired nutrients is affected by environmental perturbation, such as CO2 concentration. By using combined ecophysiology, metabolomics and isotope tracer techniques, our research aims to expand our understanding of crop-mycorrhiza-environment interactions.

Evolution, diversity and ecology of plant-fungal symbioses

Plant-fungal symbioses date back to when plants first colonized Earth’s landmasses more than 475 million years ago.

Fossil and molecular evidence suggest that the earliest plants to emerge onto the land were likely similar to modern-day liverworts. As such, these tiny plants provide an excellent opportunity for us to understand how mycorrhiza-like associations in the earliest plants may have facilitated plant domination of the terrestrial biosphere.

Recent findings suggest the earliest plants may not have associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of the Glomeromycota as has always been assumed, instead Mucoromycotina may well have been key players in plant terrestrialization. Our latest research has shown that Mucoromycotina Fine Root Endophytes are widespread throughout nearly all modern land plants and may play a different role to other mycorrhizas in plant nutrition.

We are only just starting to understand the true diversity, structure and physiological function of the relationships between plants and their symbiotic fungi. Our research aims to shed new light on the role diverse fungal symbionts may have played in the development and maintenance of Earth’s global ecosystems in the past, present and future.

Current research

MYCOREV - A Mycorrhizal Revolution: the role of diverse symbiotic fungi in modern terrestrial ecosystems. ERC Consolidator Grant, (2020-2025)
Friend or foe; who wins in the competition for plant resources? Leverhulme Trust (2020-2023)
How did the evolution of plants, microbial symbionts and terrestrial nutrient cycles change Earth’s long-term climate?, NERC (2019-2022)
LOCKED UP: The role of biotic and abiotic interactions in the stabilisation and persistence of soil organic carbon, NERC (2019-2022)
Philip Leverhulme Prize in Biological Sciences 2017, Leverhulme Trust (2018-2021)
AFRICAP – Agricutural and Food-system Resilience: Increasing Capacity and Advising, GCRF (2017-2021)
Interactions between crops, arbuscular mycorrhizas and CO2, BBSRC (2016-2021)

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Featured publications

Journal articles

Hoysted GA, Bidartondo MI, Duckett JG, Pressel S & Field KJ (2020) . New Phytologist.
Charters MD, Sait SM & Field KJ (2020) . Current Biology, 30(10), 1801-1808.e5.
Thirkell TJ, Pastok D & Field KJ (2020) . Global Change Biology, 26(3), 1725-1738.
Elliott AJ, Daniell T, Cameron DD & Field KJ (2020) . Plants, People, Planet.
Hoysted GA, Jacob AS, Kowal J, Giesemann P, Bidartondo MI, Duckett JG, Gebauer G, Rimington WR, Schornack S, Pressel S & Field KJ (2019) . Plant Physiology, 181(2), 565-577.
Field KJ, Bidartondo MI, Rimington WR, Hoysted GA, Beerling DJ, Cameron DD, Duckett JG, Leake JR & Pressel S (2019) . New Phytologist.
Field KJ & Pressel S (2018) . New Phytologist, 220(4), 996-1011.
Hoysted GA, Kowal J, Jacob A, Rimington WR, Duckett JG, Pressel S, Orchard S, Ryan MH, Field KJ & Bidartondo MI (2018) . Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 44, 1-6.
Mills BJW, Batterman SA & Field KJ (2018) . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373(1739).

All publications

Journal articles

Howard N, Williams A, Durant E, Pressel S, Daniell T & Field K (2024) . Current Biology.
Field K, Magkourilou E, Daniell T, Durant E, Bell C & Urwin P (2024) . Functional Ecology.
Magkourilou E, Bell C, Daniell T & Field K (2024) . Functional Ecology.
Ferry L, Marshall D, Field KJ, Sayer EJ, Rezende E & Meyer J (2024) . Functional Ecology, 38(7), 1462-1463.
Gurung K, Field K, Batterman S, Poulton S & Mills B (2024) . Nature Communications.
Sinanaj B, Pressel S, Bidartondo M & Field K (2024) . Functional Ecology.
Watts A, Magkourilou E, Howard N & Field K (2023) . The Biochemist, 45(3), 2-7.
Hawkins H-J, Cargill R, Van Nuland M, Hagen S, Field K, Sheldrake M, Soudzilovskaia N & Kiers ET (2023) . Current Biology(33), 560-573.
Bell CA, Magkourilou E, Field KJ & Urwin PE (2023) . Applied Soil Ecology, 182, 104733-104733.
Bell CA, Magkourilou E, Barker H, Barker A, Urwin PE & Field KJ (2022) . Plants, People, Planet.
Gurung K, Field KJ, Batterman SA, Goddéris Y, Donnadieu Y, Porada P, Taylor LL & Mills BJW (2022) . Nature Communications, 13(1).
Charters MD, Durant EK, Sait SM & Field KJ (2022) . Plants, People, Planet.
Galloway AF, Akhtar J, Burak E, Marcus SE, Field KJ, Dodd IC & Knox P (2022) . Plant Physiology.
Howard N, Pressel S, Kaye RS, Daniell TJ & Field KJ (2022) . Physiologia Plantarum.
Thirkell TJ, Grimmer M, James L, Pastok D, Allary T, Elliott A, Paveley N, Daniell T & Field KJ (2022) . Food and Energy Security.
Bell CA, Magkourilou E, Urwin PE & Field KJ (2022) . New Phytol.
Sinanaj B, Hoysted GA, Pressel S, Bidartondo MI & Field KJ (2021) . New Phytologist.
Field KJ, Daniell T, Johnson D & Helgason T (2021) . Plants, People, Planet, 3(5), 430-432.
Sallach JB, Thirkell TJ, Field KJ & Carter LJ (2021) . Plants, People, Planet.
PRESSEL S, BIDARTONDO MI, FIELD KJ & DUCKETT JG (2021) . Bryophyte Diversity and Evolution, 43(1), 284-306.
Hoysted GA, Kowal J, Pressel S, Duckett JG, Bidartondo MI & Field KJ (2021) . Mycorrhiza.
Bell CA, Magkourilou E, Urwin PE & Field KJ (2021) . Ecology and Evolution, 11(7), 2997-3003.
Thirkell TJ, Campbell M, Driver J, Pastok D, Merry B & Field KJ (2020) . Plants, People, Planet.
Hoysted GA, Bidartondo MI, Duckett JG, Pressel S & Field KJ (2020) . New Phytologist.
Galloway AF, Akhtar J, Marcus SE, Fletcher N, Field K & Knox P (2020) . The Plant Journal.
Charters MD, Sait SM & Field KJ (2020) . Current Biology, 30(10), 1801-1808.e5.
Rimington WR, Duckett JG, Field KJ, Bidartondo MI & Pressel S (2020) . Mycorrhiza, 30(1), 23-49.
Thirkell TJ, Pastok D & Field KJ (2020) . Global Change Biology, 26(3), 1725-1738.
Field KJ, Daniell T, Johnson D & Helgason T (2020) . Plants, People, Planet, 2(2), 98-103.
Elliott AJ, Daniell T, Cameron DD & Field KJ (2020) . Plants, People, Planet.
Rimington WR, Pressel S, Duckett JG, Field KJ & Bidartondo MI (2019) . Mycorrhiza, 29(6), 551-565.
Leebens-Mack JH, Barker MS, Carpenter EJ, Deyholos MK, Gitzendanner MA, Graham SW, Grosse I, Li Z, Melkonian M, Mirarab S , Porsch M et al (2019) . Nature, 574, 679-685.
Hoysted GA, Jacob AS, Kowal J, Giesemann P, Bidartondo MI, Duckett JG, Gebauer G, Rimington WR, Schornack S, Pressel S & Field KJ (2019) . Plant Physiology, 181(2), 565-577.
Field KJ, Bidartondo MI, Rimington WR, Hoysted GA, Beerling DJ, Cameron DD, Duckett JG, Leake JR & Pressel S (2019) . New Phytologist.
Field KJ & Pressel S (2018) . New Phytologist, 220(4), 996-1011.
Rimington WR, Pressel S, Duckett JG, Field KJ, Read DJ & Bidartondo MI (2018) . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(1888).
Hoysted GA, Kowal J, Jacob A, Rimington WR, Duckett JG, Pressel S, Orchard S, Ryan MH, Field KJ & Bidartondo MI (2018) . Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 44, 1-6.
Akhtar J, Galloway AF, Nikolopoulos G, Field KJ & Knox P (2018) . Plant and Soil, 428(1-2), 57-65.
Kowal J, Pressel S, Duckett JG, Bidartondo MI & Field KJ (2018) . Annals of Botany, 121(2), 221-227.
Mills BJW, Batterman SA & Field KJ (2018) . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373(1739).
Galloway AF, Pedersen MJ, Merry B, Marcus SE, Blacker J, Benning LG, Field KJ & Knox JP (2018) . New Phytologist, 217(3), 1128-1136.
Hoysted GA, Lilley CJ, Field KJ, Dickinson M, Hartley SE & Urwin PE (2017) . Frontiers in Plant Science, 8.
Thirkell TJ, Charters MD, Elliott AJ, Sait SM & Field KJ (2017) . Journal of Ecology, 105(4), 921-929.
Pressel S, Bidartondo MI, Field KJ, Rimington WR & Duckett JG (2016) . Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 54(6), 666-678.
Field KJ (2016) . New Phytologist, 212(4), 836-837.
Field KJ, Rimington WR, Bidartondo MI, Allinson KE, Beerling DJ, Cameron DD, Duckett JG, Leake JR & Pressel S (2016) . The ISME Journal, 10(6), 1514-1526.
Field KJ, Duckett JG, Cameron DD & Pressel S (2015) . Annals of Botany, 115(6), 915-922.
Field KJ, Leake JR, Tille S, Allinson KE, Rimington WR, Bidartondo MI, Beerling DJ & Cameron DD (2015) . New Phytologist, 205(4), 1492-1502.
Field KJ, Pressel S, Duckett JG, Rimington WR & Bidartondo MI (2015) . Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 30(8), 477-486.
Field KJ, Rimington WR, Bidartondo MI, Allinson KE, Beerling DJ, Cameron DD, Duckett JG, Leake JR & Pressel S (2015) . New Phytologist, 205(2), 743-756.
Field K, George RM, Fearne B, Quick WP & Davey MP (2013) . PLoS ONE.
Brunetti C, George RM, Tattini M, Field K & Davey MP (2013) . Journal of Experimental Botany.
Field KJ, Cameron DD, Leake JR, Tille S, Bidartondo MI & Beerling DJ (2012) . Nat Commun, 3, 835.
Field KJ & Lake JA (2011) Environmental metabolomics links genotype to phenotype and predicts genotype abundance in wild plant populations. Physiologia Plantarum.
Lake JA, Field KJ, Davey MP, Beerling DJ & Lomax BH (2009) . Plant Cell Environ, 32(10), 1377-1389.
Wilson PB, Estavillo GM, Field K, Pornsiriwong W, Carroll AJ, Howell KA, Woo NS, Lake JA, Smith SM, Millar AH , von Caemmerer S et al (2009) The nucleotidase/phosphatase SAL1 is a negative regulator of drought tolerance in Arabidopsis. The Plant Journal, 58(2), 299-317.
Wilson PB, Estavillo GM, Field KJ, Pornsiriwong W, Carroll AJ, Howell KA, Woo NS, Lake JA, Smith SM, Harvey Millar A , Von Caemmerer S et al (2009) . Plant Journal, 58(2), 299-317.
Bate-Weldon M, Edmondson J & Field K () . iScience.
Read D, Haggar J, Magkourilou E, Durant E, Johnson D, Leake J & Field K () Photosynthate transfer from an autotrophic orchid to conspecific heterotrophic protocorms through a common mycorrhizal network. New Phytologist.
Field K, Carrillo Y, Campbell S, Ton J & Frew A () . Plants People Planet.
Bell C, Magkourilou E, Ault JR, Urwin PE & Field K () Phytophagy impacts the quality and quantity of plant carbon resources acquired by mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.. Nature Communications.
Prout J, Williams A, Ton J & Field K () . Trends in Plant Science.
Durant EK, Hoysted G, Howard N, Sait S, Childs D, Johnson D & Field K () . Current Biology.
Hoysted GA, Field KJ, Sinanaj B, Bell CA, Bidartondo MI & Pressel S () . New Phytologist.
Ton J, Tao C-N, Buswell W, Zhang P, Walker H, Johnson I & Field K () A single amino acid transporter controls the uptake of priming-inducing beta-amino acids and the associated trade-off between induced resistance and plant growth.. Plant Cell.
Lutz S, Anesio AM, Field K & Benning LG () . Frontiers in Microbiology, 6.

Chapters

Thirkell T, Hoysted G, Elliott A, Field K & Daniell T (2021) , Understanding and improving crop root function (pp. 493-530). Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
Field KJ, Davidson SJ, Alghamdi SA & Cameron DD (2017) , Mycorrhizal Mediation of Soil (pp. 375-393). Elsevier
Field KJ, Davidson SJ, Alghamdi SA & Cameron DD (2017) , Mycorrhizal Mediation of Soil: Fertility, Structure, and Carbon Storage (pp. 375-393).
Rimington WR, Pressel S, Field KJ, Strullu-Derrien C, Duckett JG & Bidartondo MI () , Molecular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis (pp. 21-32). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Conference proceedings papers

Bell CA, Field KJ & Urwin PE (2024) Plant-parasitic nematodes are SWEET. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS, Vol. 37(5) (pp 28-28)
Gurung K, Mills B, Batterman S, Field K, Porada P, Goddéris Y & Donnadieu Y (2021) . Goldschmidt2021 abstracts, 4 July 2021 - 9 July 2021.
Field K & Lake J (2008) . COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 150(3) (pp S190-S190)
Field K & Lake J (2008) . COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 150(3) (pp S197-S198)
Sinanaj B, Bidartondo MI, Pressel S & Field KJ () . The 1st International Electronic Conference on Plant Science

Preprints

Williams A, Sinanaj B, Rodriguez-Morelos V, Prout J, Howard N, Durant E, Pressel S & Field KJ (2025) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Howard NOA, Williams A, Durant E, Pressel S, Daniell TJ & Field KJ (2024) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Gurung K, Field K, Batterman S, Godderis Y, Donnadieu Y, Porada P, Taylor L & Mills B () , Research Square Platform LLC.
Galloway AF, Akhtar J, Burak E, Marcus SE, Field KJ, Dodd IC & Knox P () , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Hoysted GA, Kowal J, Pressel S, Duckett JG, Bidartondo MI & Field KJ () , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Hoysted GA, Bidartondo MI, Duckett JG, Pressel S & Field KJ () , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Hoysted GA, Jacob AS, Kowal J, Giesemann P, Bidartondo MI, Duckett JG, Gebauer G, Rimington WR, Schornack S, Pressel S & Field KJ () , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.