Nitrogen Cycle

Responses and adaptation of fungi to global climate change and impacts to biogeochemical cycles.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in agroecosystems and natural lands

Working with undergraduate students at the University of Panamá in the Agronomy Faculty in Agroforestry Engineering, one of our objectives is to strengthen their capabilities in understanding how the soil and its microorganisms work. Under this focus, we will try to evaluate the total fungal and mycorrhizal community richness and composition that will vary with elevation due to changes in climatic influences, in addition to soil characteristics and the influence of vegetation. For that, we will be establishing plots to collect data at several sites across the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé in partnership with the GCBC-STRI project. In addition, our students will be using STRI labs for molecular (DNA) analysis and sequencing of fungal and mycorrhizal communities, working with Dr. Kristin Saltonstall.

I am a soil microbial and chemical ecologist fascinated by plant-soil-microbe interactions. My goal as a researcher is to explore the complex interactions between aboveground plants and the soil and microbes belowground in tropical ecosystems in the context of climate change.

My research focuses on assessing how eco-friendly soil amendments affect soil microbiomes thereby enhancing soil health. By focusing on the dynamics of soil microbial communities, my research contributes to the broader understanding of nutrient cycling and the role of organic inputs in promoting resilient, microbially active soils for sustainable agriculture.

Overall research question is: how is the plant – soil nitrogen cycle in Montane cloud forest in Peru affected by lack of rain and clouds

1) Are plants and microbes in canopy soil and in ground soil  N or P limited ?  2) Does drought by rain removal - decrease or increase gross N mineralization ?
3) and has stronger impact in the epiphytes N uptake than in ground-living herbs ?

PhD student to research the microarthropod and mycorrhiza community of the Veluwe for future restoration
#NitrogenDeposition
#Oribatida
#SoilCommunity

Estudiante de doctorado. Especializada en la genética de la conservación de especies forestales en los bosques de la Sierra Juárez de Oaxaca, México. Interesada en los efectos del cambio climático y en las interacciones entre plantas y ecosistemas del suelo (hongos y bacterias).

I am a microbiologist studying how microorganisms adapt to oligotrophic cold environments, with a focus on fungal and bacterial ecological roles. My work explores microbial diversity in the cryosphere, identifying taxa driving biogeochemical cycles and examining how fungal and microbial adaptations vary across hemispheres and through time.

My research is centered on the intricate relationship between plants and microorganisms, with a particular emphasis on leveraging microbial communities to enhance soil fertility, promote plant growth under diverse conditions, and remediate contaminated soils. I am experienced in investigating the microbial communities associated with plants and their pivotal role in plant health.

Filamentous fungi, Lignocellulolytic enzymes, proteomics