Natural Resources/ Forest Science

BA, Environmental Studies, University of Vermont

MS, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

CEIRP Curriculum Project: Effect of Non-indigenous Worms on Forest Soils, Acid Rain

2000 - 2001 CEIRP Fellow Statement

In general, my research interests include nutrient cycling in forested ecosystems and the effects of natural and anthropogenic stressors on these processes. At the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, I examined variability in nitrogen uptake between fast and slow-growing populations of loblolly pine from distinct ecotypes. An additional objective of this study was to examine how pools of available nitrogen differ between the bulk soil and the microbially-rich rhizosphere by using the stable isotope ¹⁵N as a tracer. For my MS research at the College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry in Syracuse, NY, I examined the effects of calcium and aluminum additions on rhizosphere soil and sugar maple fine roots at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. My current research focuses on whether specific species of plants induce changes in microbial communities and processes in the rhizosphere. In trees, differences in root exudates quantity and quality directly influence microbial biomass and microbial diversity in the rhizosphere, which may increase mineralization of soil organic matter and mineral weathering. Of particular interest is whether certain tree species have co-evolved with specific rhizosphere microorganisms to form facultative mutualisms that enhance soil fertility and improve tree species fitness.