Science Associates

My research focuses on forest ecology, specifically how symbiotic soil microbes (mycorrhizal fungi) and non-mycorrhizal endophytes help forest trees adapt to climate change. I study how shifting microbial communities, particularly drought-adapted ones, improve tree seedling survival and drought tolerance. I am applying these findings to improve reforestation efforts by testing whether soil fungal communities increase survival success in forests and post-agricultural lands in changing climates.