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Research Interests
Microbial ecology of terrestrial ecosystems
Communities, not total biomass, control net process rates and drive biogeochemical cycles that sustain the biosphere. Thus, descriptions of the temporal and spatial dimensions of microbial community structure and the complex gene expression patterns that underlie trophic interactions are fundamental to a more complete understanding of our biosphere. Our research interests are focused on (I) the adaptation of microbial community structure and activity to external stress factors, and (II) the role of microorganisms play in biogeochemical cycles. |
Current Projects
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Amazon Biodiversity
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We are studying, along with many brilliant collaborators listed below, the impact of forest-to-pasture conversion in the Amazon rainforests of Brazil. This project addresses the critically important question of how microbial biodiversity responds to and recovers from deforestation. Microorganisms are regarded as drivers of ecosystem processes and have not been characterized as extensively as plants and animals. The US-Brazil research team will focus on the potent greenhouse gas methane and identify the producers and consumers along gradients of land us in the Amazon rainforest.
This work will result in the most comprehensive study of microbial responses to land use change ever documented, and the development of a novel approach for the integration of microbial biodiversity, allowing for accurate prediction of the effects of deforestation on the methane cycle. US Collaborators: Dr. Jorge Rodrigues (Michigan State University), Dr. Scott Saleska (University of Arizona), Dr. Joost van Haren (University of Arizona), and Dr. Brendan Bohannan (University of Oregon). Brazilian Collaborators: Dr. Siu Mui Tsai (Univeristy of Sao Paulo CENA), Dr. Plinio Barbaosa De Camargo (Univeristy of Sao Paulo CENA), Dr. Fernando Dini Andreote (Univeristy of Sao Paulo CENA), Dr. Carlos Clemente Cerri (Univeristy of Sao Paulo CENA), Dr. Marcelo Zacharias Moreria (Univeristy of Sao Paulo CENA), Dr. Carlos Alberto Martinez Huaman (Univeristy of Sao Paulo), Dr. Raimundo Cosmede Oliveira Jr. (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation EMBRAPA Eastern Amazon), and Dr. Rodrigo Mendes (EMBRAPA Campinas). |
Grass phytobiome
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This project studies the diverse bacterial, fungal, and archaeal communities that grow on the above ground surfaces (the phyllosphere) of important grasses in temperate and tropical areas.
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