Research
Roots in the Anthropocene
Plant root systems play an important role in soil C formation and accumulation, as well as the distribution of soil water and nutrient resources. However, root systems across the globe are changing dramatically in response to climate and land use and land cover change. My research examines how rooting patterns, processes, and distributions across soil depths are changing in the Anthropocene. I study the ways plants allocate C resources in exchange for soil nutrients, how those exchange processes vary in heterogeneous soil environments, and how rooting distributions have been altered by human actives across the globe.
To learn more about how global root distributions are changing, check out my Earth’s Future article.
Phosphorus dynamics in Earth’s critical zone
Earth’s critical zone (CZ)–everything from the bedrock to the top of the tree canopy–is Earth’s “zone of life.” In the CZ, biologic and geologic processes interact to govern the movement of materials such as nutrients and carbon across space and over time. I study how processes governing nutrient availability, specifically phosphorus (P), over geological timescales interact with vegetation growth and root systems processes that occur on decadal timescales to examine the nutrient sources sustain productive ecosystems.
Photo credit: Sharon Billings
Cross-scale C and nutrient linkages
Ecosystem responses to anthropogenic activities are moderated by nutrients. I examine the relationships between ecosystem productivity and changing N and P dynamics to better understand how Earth systems will behave in the presence of anthropogenic change. By studying stoichiometric ratios and linking empirical studies to earth systems models, my research helps clarify links between C and nutrient cycles that control ecosystem productivity and the terrestrial C sink.
This work was conducted in collaboration with the INCyTE Research Coordination Network.
More information available on Google Scholar.