Kylle Roy
Biography
Education:
M.S. 2015 Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Hilo, HI
B.S. 2013 Biological Sciences minor Environmental Science, Chapman University, Orange, CA
Kylle Roy works with Dr. Carter Atkinson. Her research intrests include environmental DNA (eDNA) genetics and metagenomics, particularly developing new techniques to improve environmental management strategies. She is currently working on understanding the movement of fungi that cause Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD). She has worked on developing new tools for identifying and sampling ROD, such as the portable lab-in-a-suitcase and wind spore samplers.
Science and Products
Pathways for Movement and Rate of Spread of Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death on the Island of Hawai‘i
Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD) is an emerging and rapidly spreading disease of ‘ōhi‘a (Metrosideros polymorpha), a keystone native forest tree in the Hawaiian Islands. The disease is highly pathogenic in native ‘ōhi‘a and can lead to significant mortality once symptoms become evident. This emerging pathogen is a significant threat to native forests throughout the state because of its...
Environmental DNA (eDNA): a New Tool for Monitoring Status and Trends of Ecosystems and Taxa in Hawaii and Pacific Islands
Remote locations, rugged topography, extreme weather conditions, high numbers of threatened and endangered taxa, and widespread degradation of native ecosystems by invasive species makes routine monitoring to determine status and trends of ecosystems and native and invasive taxa difficult and expensive in the Hawaiian Islands. There is a need to supplement existing monitoring protocols with...
Hawaii Island Environmental Sampler Comparison 2016-2018
These data include metadata and associated data files associated with the manuscript, "Economical Environmental Sampler Designs for Detecting Airborne Spread of Fungi Responsible for Rapid Ohia Death." These data include a total of 8 datasets used for both controlled and field studies evaluating the use of Active (with battery operated fan) and Passive (dependent on wind) USGS Environmental...
Economical environmental sampler designs for detecting airborn spread of fungi responsible for rapid `Ōhi` death
We designed two new samplers for monitoring airborne particulates that rely on either natural wind currents (Passive Environmental Sampler) or a battery-operated fan (Active Environmental Sampler). Both samplers are significantly less expensive than commercial devices such as Rotorod® and Burkard Samplers that are used in the agricultural and...
Atkinson, Carter T.; Roy, Kylle; Granthon, Carolina A rapid diagnostic test and mobile "lab in a suitcase" platform for detecting Ceratocystis spp. responsible for Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death
We describe a field compatible molecular diagnostic test for two new species of Ceratocystis that infect `ōhi`a (Metrosideros polymorpha) and cause the disease commonly known as Rapid `Ōhi`a Death. The diagnostic is based on amplification of a DNA locus within the internal transcribed spacer region that separates fungal 5.8S ribosomal genes. The...
Atkinson, Carter T.; Watcher-Weatherwax, William; Roy, Kylle; Heller, Wade P; Keith, Lisa
Portable Lab Speeds Detection of Pathogens Responsible for Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death
Researchers at the USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, and USDA Agriculture Research Service have developed a new tool to rapidly detect the pathogens that cause Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death, a disease affecting a keystone tree species across more than 50,000 of acres of land in Hawai‘i.