The sustainability of bioenergy production relies on growing feedstocks that retain nutrients and enhance soil carbon. We use an integrated model-experiment approach to refine our predictive understanding of how plant-microbial interactions impact soil C and N cycling in bioenergy systems. Recently, we released our new model FUN-BioCROP which is the first bioenergy ecosystem model to simulate explicit microbes and their interactions with plants in the rhizosphere.

• People: Zoe Pagliaro, Joanna Ridgeway, & Stephanie Juice
• Starting date: December 2017
• Collaborators: The Center for Advanced Bioenergy & Bioproducts

We have recently finished an experiment that excluded nearly all the rainfall from a temperate forest stand in Morgantown, WV. The experiment tested how the extreme drought conditions predicted from climate change will change tree physiology and microbial function. Our findings show that forest stands dominated by oaks were more resilient than those dominated by maples. Specifically, oaks were able to sustain high rates of N-mineralization by increasing carbon transfers to the rhizosphere. By contrast, maples increased their ability to scavenge for nitrogen with roots, yet their N-mineralization rates declined.

• People: Lab alumni, Nanette Raczka
• Starting date: June 2016
• Collaborators: The Elizabeth’s Woods Nature Preserve & the West Virginia Land Trust

Forests in the Eastern U.S. have received chronically high levels of nitrogen pollution - a consequence of coal burning. Nitrogen pollution has altered forests by changing how fast trees grow, the composition of plant species, and how much carbon they can store. All of these impacts have fundamentally disrupted plant and microbial interactions. We study this disruption at the Fernow Experimental Forest to determine whether plant-microbial interactions will recouple as nitrogen pollution fades across the region.

• People: Emel Kangi, Dominick Cifelli, & lab alumni, Joe Carrara & Chris Walter
• Starting date: June 2015
• Collaborators: Ember Morrissey, Mary Beth Adams, Bill Peterjohn & The Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia

Ecosystem models are limited by information about how microbial communities impact nutrient cycling. Until now, microbial communities have been treated as a 'black box' through which nutrients flow. We designed a competition model that simulates the dynamics of microbial groups that vary in their ability to decompose different soil organic matter substrates. Importantly, the model is designed to be able to ingest microbial -omics data for parameterization and validation. We are currently testing the model at the Fernow Experimental Forest by challenging it reproduce differences in soil carbon between the nitrogen fertilized and unfertilized watershed.

• People: Stephanie Juice & lab alumni Chris Walter
• Starting date: January 2020
• Collaborators: Colin Averill, Jenny Bhatnagar, Zac Freedman, & Ember Morrissey

Microbial carbon use efficiency and turnover are keystone traits that appear to control the magnitude and stabilization mechanism of soil carbon. We are currently investigating the extent to which differences in plant traits, nutrient status, and climate feedback on these keystone microbial traits. Using isotope tracing and natural abundance methods, we link microbial physiology with the flavor of soil carbon storage across forest and agricultural ecosystems.

• People: Zoe Pagliaro, Joanna Ridgeway & alumni, Joe Cararra & Nanette Raczka
• Starting date: June 2018
• Collaborators: Ember Morrissey

Our outreach program is designed to make our research accessible to our local and regional communities, while also providing a chance for people to interact with our experiments in the field. We hold two annual outreach events designed to expose children and adults to all aspects of ecosystems science. We also help integrate ecosystem experiments into curriculum.

• People: Eddie Brzostek, Joanna Ridgeway, Zoe Pagliaro, Emel Kangi, & lab alumni, Joe Cararra & Nanette Raczka
• Starting date: May 2017
• Collaborators: The Elizabeth’s Woods Nature Preserve, the West Virginia Land Trust, Eastwood Elementary & Van Jr. Sr. High School