Area of research
Ecology · Plant Science
Research interest
Research topics from publications: Climate drivers alter nitrogen availability in surface peat and decouple N2 fixation from CH4 oxidation in the Sphagnum moss microbiome; Northern peatland microbial communities exhibit resistance to warming and acquire electron acceptors from soil organic matter; Northern peatland microbial networks exhibit resilience to warming and acquire electron acceptor from soil organic matter; Plant‐Induced Changes Mediate Belowground Carbon Cycling in an Experimentally Warmed Peatland. Representative work: Abstract Peat mosses ( Sphagnum spp.) are keystone species in boreal peatlands, where they dominate net primary productivity and facilitate the accumulation of carbon in thick peat deposits. Sphagnum mosses harbor a diverse assemblage of microbial partners, including N 2 ‐fixing (diazotrophic) and CH 4 ‐oxidizing (methanotrophic) taxa that support ecosystem function by regulating transformations of carbon and nitrogen. Here, we investigate the response of the Sphagnum phytobiome (plant + constituent microbiome + environment) to a gradient of experimental warming (+0°C to +9°C) and elevated CO 2 (+500 ppm) in an ombrotrophic peatland in northern Minnesota (USA). By tracking changes in carbon The response of microbial communities that regulate belowground carbon turnover to climate change drivers in peatlands is poorly understood. Here, we leverage a whole ecosystem warming experiment to elucidate the key processes of terminal carbon decomposition and community responses to temperature rise. Our dataset of 697 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) represents the microbial community from the surface (10 cm) to 2 m deep into the peat column, with only 3.7% of genomes overlapping with other well-studied peatlands. Community composition has yet to show a significant response to warming after 3 years, suggesting that metabolically diverse soil microbial communities are resistant to clim
Plant‐Induced Changes Mediate Belowground Carbon Cycling in an Experimentally Warmed Peatland
Northern peatland microbial communities exhibit resistance to warming and acquire electron acceptors from soil organic matter
Northern peatland microbial networks exhibit resilience to warming and acquire electron acceptor from soil organic matter
Climate drivers alter nitrogen availability in surface peat and decouple <scp>N<sub>2</sub></scp> fixation from <scp>CH<sub>4</sub></scp> oxidation in the <i>Sphagnum</i> moss microbiome