Discovering how root-soil interactions determine plant growth and coexistence
It is surprisingly difficult to understand what roots of different species are doing in the dense, dark world below our feet.
Our research reveals fundamental biological processes with the goal of improving landscape management.
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Our research has applications in:
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Managing invasive plants.
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Creating diverse communities.
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Creating productive communities.
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Managing rangeland communities and crops for a changing environment.
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Take a look at the examples below and on the research page to learn more.
Plant-soil feedbacks: how interactions with soil archeae, bacteria, fungi, and organisms determine plant growth and coexistence.
Water and nutrient uptake: We use tracer experiments to measure water and nutrient uptake by different plants in the field.
Belowground Research
Research Examples
Plant invasion
Activated carbon treatment
Native plant restoration
Plant invasions
Humans have moved plants around the world and disturbed soils resulting in extensive plant invasions. These invasions can decrease productivity and diversity among other impacts.
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Our research has found that invasive plants interact with soil organisms (and soil structure and nutrients) differently than native plants. We used this information to develop a management approach (activated carbon addition) that cuts off communication between invasive plants and soil organisms and allows native plant growth.
Woody plants are invading grasslands globally
Measuring grass and woody water uptake
Testing precipitation effects on grass and woody plants
Woody Encroachment
Woody plants have invaded grasslands around the world in the past 50 years. In the western US alone, woody cover has doubled inducing $5billion in lost forage and increased management costs. The reasons for this encroachment remain unclear.
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By measuring how different species absorb water from the soil, our research suggests that woody plant growth has increased because slightly deeper and more flexible rooting strategies allow woody plants to take advantage of the larger precipitation events that occur in warmer air.
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An implication of our finding is that woody plant control is likely to result in increased forage production.
