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Plant-microbial Interactions and Soil Carbon
Plant roots, mycorrrhizal fungi, and microbes are all after the same thing - soil nutrients. Interactions among those three rhizosphere groups are common. In fact, over 80% of plants associate with mycorrhizal fungi. I study how these interactions affect ecosystem processes, namely soil carbon decomposition and accumulation. Using field manipulations of root and hyphal biomass, I am able to disentangle how interactions among rhizosphere microbes affects whole ecosystem processes. To date, I have found evidence for mycorrhizal promotion and suppression of decomposer activity. To discern mechanisms associated with promotion and suppression, I am implementing my data into a rhizosphere-specific ecosystem model.
Relevant publication: Moore JAM, CM Patterson, J Jiang, MA Mayes, G Wang, and AT Classen. 2015. Interactions among roots, mycorrhizae, and free-living microbial communities differentially impact soil carbon processes. Journal of Ecology 103: 1442-1453. |
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