Tawny A. Bolinas
Hi! I’m a scientist and educator in the biological sciences. I teach biology as Associate Faculty at Butte College and serve on the board of the Friends of the Ahart Herbarium.
I started at Cuesta College, then earned a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology and an M.S. in Microbial Ecology at California State University, Chico. My thesis examined how foliar fungal endophytes influence microbial community assembly and leaf litter decomposition.
In the classroom and lab, I focus on hands-on learning and accessible, student-centered science education. Through fellowships, university service, and outreach, I’ve also worked in science communication, mentoring, and lab management. I’m interested in using molecular and computational approaches to understand how microbial communities shape ecosystem function.
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2026Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award, Office of Graduate Studies
Some foliar endophytic fungi may stay dormant in leaves until senescence, then begin decomposition and, through priority effects, shape the decomposer fungi that arrive later. I tested this with a 36-week field experiment using valley oak (Quercus lobata) litter in mesh litterbags assigned to three treatments: endophytes only, external fungi, and both combined. Fungal communities were tracked with ITS high-throughput sequencing, yielding 515 OTUs at 97% similarity, mostly Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.
Community composition was shaped mainly by site, with species turnover driving most differences, and decomposition rates did not differ among treatments. Indicator species analysis identified distinct OTUs for each treatment. Endophytes imposed weak priority effects under field conditions, and long-term community assembly was more strongly shaped by site-specific stochastic processes.
2022People’s Choice Award, Undergraduate Research, College of Natural Sciences
Foliar fungal endophytes colonize plant leaves without obvious harm to the host, and many are thought to be commensals that wait for leaves to senesce. Fungi are the primary decomposers of leaf litter, but how much endophyte and decay communities overlap is not well understood. To measure that overlap, fungal DNA was extracted from surface-sterilized canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis) leaves and litter at Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, and both communities were characterized with high-throughput amplicon sequencing and compared using alpha and beta diversity.
Endophyte and decay communities differed significantly, with fewer than 25% of taxa occurring in both substrates. This partial overlap suggests that some foliar endophytes act as early colonizers and may influence the composition of leaf decay communities.
Compared lysing bead matrices (F, J, I) and buffer volumes for extracting endophyte DNA from valley oak leaves. Matrix F with 350 µL of buffer, increased to 400 µL, each step with 2 minutes of homogenization, gave the strongest PCR amplification.
With no irradiation facilities nearby, tested autoclave time and temperature combinations for sterilizing valley oak leaves. 75 °C for 15 minutes was the lowest treatment that fully eliminated foliar endophytes, setting the method for the thesis field experiment.
Group poster tracing evolutionary change across biological scales, from antler phenotypes and rodent models to fungal community assembly and the shift from cellular to acellular bone in teleost fish.
Tracked SARS-CoV-2 in bi-weekly composite wastewater samples from nine residence halls by RT-qPCR targeting the N1 gene. RNA trends reflected campus prevention measures and gave early warning of case increases.
Double-blind trial in mice testing stem cell–conditioned media, PGE2, minoxidil, and redensyl for androgenetic alopecia. All treatments accelerated hair growth in preliminary results, and combined factors worked best.
Emerging Scientist Imaging Workshop: transmitted light, widefield fluorescence, confocal, and image scanning microscopy, with quantitative fluorescence analysis.
The Friends of the Ahart Herbarium supports the Ahart Herbarium at Chico State, the most complete collection of plant specimens from northeastern California, with more than 100,000 specimens of vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, and slime molds. The group promotes research, education, and preservation of Northern California’s native plant diversity through workshops, events, and its annual meeting.
Fieldwork & Research
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. Manuscript in preparation
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. DNA optimization of foliar fungal endophytes in Quercus lobata (valley oak) leaves. Adelante: A Journal of Student Research and Creative Work 4.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Pilot study: time and temperature to eliminate foliar fungal endophytes. Adelante: A Journal of Student Research and Creative Work 3(1):41.
Bolinas TA. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. Mycological Society of America Conference, Fungal Futures: Cultivating Mycology and Mycologists. Madison, WI.
Bolinas TA. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. Friends of the Ahart Herbarium Annual Meeting and Special Presentations.
Bolinas TA. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. 39th Annual Student Research Symposium. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. Agricultural Research Institute HSI and NextGen Science and Leadership Conference. Sacramento, CA.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. 38th Student Research Symposium. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. DNA optimization of foliar fungal endophytes in Quercus lobata leaves. Adelante Summer Research Program. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. Biology Department Summer Talks. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Thesis proposal: Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. Biology Omicron Friday Seminar Series. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Pilot study: time and temperature to eliminate foliar fungal endophytes. Adelante Summer Research Program. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Thesis proposal: Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. Biology Department Summer Talks. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. Northern California Botanists’ 13th Symposium. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. 29th Annual Biological Sciences Student Research Symposium. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. Chico State’s 21st Annual College of Natural Sciences Poster Session. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. Mycological Society of America Conference, Expanding Networks. Markham, Ontario, Canada.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. 28th Annual Biological Sciences Student Research Symposium. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Cobián GM. Priority effects of foliar fungal endophytes in leaf litter decomposition. Chico State’s 20th Annual College of Natural Sciences Poster Session. Chico, CA.
Avila D, Bolinas TA*, Cobián GM. Eliminating foliar endophytic fungi from Quercus lobata leaves for studying priority effects in leaf litter fungal communities. Northern California Botanists, 12th Symposium. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA*, Amezcua P, Loera G, Ortega-Soto J, Hatfield C. From cells to ecosystems: the pervasive web of evolutionary change. 28th Annual Biological Sciences Student Research Symposium. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA*, Amezcua P, Loera G, Ortega-Soto J, Hatfield C. From cells to ecosystems: the pervasive web of evolutionary change. Chico State’s 20th Annual College of Natural Sciences Poster Session. Chico, CA.
Tuttle M, Bolinas TA, Anderson Z, Bautista N, Barragan-Mejía N, Hibner S, Cobián GM, Cline T. Wastewater-based surveillance for determination of SARS Coronavirus-2 prevalence in the Chico State University student resident hall population. California State University Biotechnology Symposium. Santa Clara, CA.
Bolinas TA, Schultz L, Cobián GM. Community overlap between foliar fungal endophytes and leaf decay fungi associated with Quercus chrysolepis leaves. 26th Annual Biological Sciences Student Research Symposium. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Schultz L, Cobián GM. Community overlap between foliar fungal endophytes and leaf decay fungi associated with Quercus chrysolepis leaves. 18th Annual College of Natural Sciences Poster Session. Chico, CA.
Tuttle M, Bolinas TA, Anderson Z, Bautista N, Barragan-Mejía N, Hibner S, Cobián GM, Cline T. Wastewater surveillance of trends in SARS-CoV-2 prevalence on campus. 26th Annual Biological Sciences Student Research Symposium. Chico, CA.
Tuttle M, Bolinas TA, Anderson Z, Bautista N, Barragan-Mejía N, Hibner S, Cobián GM, Cline T. Wastewater surveillance of trends in SARS-CoV-2 prevalence on campus. 18th Annual College of Natural Sciences Poster Session. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA, Brewer A, Garcia K, Shahla HA, Rueb K, Stachura D. Stem cell conditioned media aids the successful treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). 26th Annual Biological Sciences Student Research Symposium. Chico, CA.
Bolinas TA*, Brewer A, Garcia K, Shahla HA, Rueb K, Stachura D. Stem cell conditioned media aids the successful treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). 18th Annual College of Natural Sciences Poster Session. Chico, CA.
* Contributed equally to the project
For research questions, collaboration, or mentoring, reach me through the links below.
