Whether we realize it or not, we all care about the fascinating and beautiful soil beneath our feet. We all come from, and will return to, the soil. Our team is interested in understanding ecosystem scale processes through the lens of soil microbial ecology. Soil microbial community growth, composition, and activity can be important indicators of soil quality, sustainability, and soil recovery to disturbance. We are especially interested in how soil microbial community dynamics can improve our understanding of ecosystem functions including carbon cycling, sustainable agriculture, and the adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.
Collaboration is also highly valued and we work closely with other researchers and groups, complex problems need strong community to solve them. See specific classes and research projects for information about the collaborative nature of the work.
Copyright 2012 Brighid Docherty