Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) bacteria reside in soil, plant rhizospheres, and water, but the prevalence of Bcc in outdoor environments is not clear. In this study, we sampled a variety of soil and rhizosphere environments with which people may have contact: playgrounds, athletic fields, parks, hiking trails, residential yards and...
The cycling of root-deposited photo synthate (rhizodeposition) through the
soil microbial biomass is widely recognized as a critical component of ecosystem
functioning. Little is currently known about the flow of photosynthate through the
microbial biomass however. My research goal was to examine if and how the flow
of root-deposited photo...
Few studies have directly compared denitrifying community composition and activities in soils by coupling molecular-genetic techniques and traditional measures of denitnfication. I investigated communities of denitrifying bacteria from adjacent meadow and forest soils in the Cascade Mountains, Oregon. A key gene in the denitrification pathway, N₂O reductase (nosZ), served as...
The use of high throughput molecular methods that allow for the study of bacterial communities in environmental samples is commonplace in microbial ecology. Until recently, fungal community ecology has
focused on isolation, collection of sporocarps, or collection of ectomycorrhizal roots. The techniques used to extract and amplify DNA from environmental...
Sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the Great Basin have become increasingly threatened by the proliferation of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), an invasive annual grass. Diverse sagebrush and perennial bunchgrass landscapes can be converted to homogenous cheatgrass grasslands mainly through the effects of fire. Although the consequences of this conversion are well...
Changes in the type and amount of plant inputs can occur gradually, as with succession, or rapidly, as with harvesting or wildfire. With global change it is anticipated that both gradual and immediate scenarios will occur at increasing frequency. Changes in vegetation inputs alter the quality and quantity of soil...
Nitrification and denitrification are major biological processes transforming nitrogen (N) in soils to plant available N, highly leachable nitrate (NO₃⁻) and gaseous N oxides. Although many studies in the past have studied N cycling communities, the effect of increased N inputs on ammonia-oxidizer and denitrifier population dynamics is still under...
Forests are one of the largest repositories of terrestrial C. Understanding factors that drive organic matter transformations and nutrient efflux from these systems is therefore highly important. Temperate forests are of particular significance due to the large fraction of C that is stored below ground in the soil. Characterizing nutrient...
Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EmF) form symbioses with trees. These symbioses profoundly influence forest ecology. Certain EmF form specialized profusions of hyphae, known as ectomycorrhizal fungal mats (mats) which are visible to the naked eye, alter forest soil biogeochemistry, substantially contribute to soil microbial biomass/respiration and support unique microbial communities. Piloderma and...
Nitrification is a critical step in the global nitrogen cycle involving the biological oxidation of ammonia (NH₃) to nitrite (NO₂⁻ ) and then to nitrate (NO₃⁻). The first step in nitrification is carried out by NH₃-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), and the second by NO₂⁻-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). In addition...