Participant Profiles

Invited Participants:

Dr. Byron Adams

• Research Interests:
  •Byron Adams is interested in deep (Nematode Tree of Life) and shallow (speciation & extinction, phylogeography) branches of phylogenetic trees, and likes to infer process from pattern. He works with Diana Wall’s group and Ian Hogg on Antarctic Dry Valley soil invertebrates, trying to get at the various factors that influence patterns of codistribution and ecosystem functioning. To explore these problems, he is extending some of the analytical methods of phylogeography and coevolution to test for correlations among codistributed biota, including soil chemistry, climate, and other geophysical variables.
• Suggested Readings:
  •Kozak, K. H., Graham, C. H. & Wiens, J. J. (2008) Integrating GIS-based environmental data into evolutionary biology. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 23, 141-148.
  •De Mazancourt, C., Johnson, E. & Barraclough, T. G. (2008) Biodiversity inhibits species’ evolutionary responses to changing environments. Ecology Letters, 11, 380-388.
  •Victoriano, P. F., Ortiz, J. C., Benavides, E., Adams, B. J. & Sites, J. W. (2007) Comparative phylogeography of co-distributed species of Chilean Liolaemus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) from the central-southern Andean range. Molecular Ecology, (in press)

Dr. Edmundo Barrios

• Research Interests:
  •Edmundo Barrios conducts multidisciplinary research on the impact of land use change, agricultural intensification and restoration of degraded lands on soil biota distribution and soil biological processes in tropical ecosystems. His studies on decomposition, soil organic matter dynamics and nutrient cycling have been an integral part of research efforts towards the biological management of soil fertility and ecosystem services in tropical agricultural landscapes. His studies on biological indicators of soil quality integrate perceptions of local farming communities about plant-soil interactions. Current research involves the development of land quality monitoring systems to monitor changes in the provision of ´soil based´ ecosystem services.
• Suggested Readings:
  •Wardle, D.A. (2006) The influence of biotic interactions on soil biodiversity. Ecology Letters 9, 870-886.
  •Barrios, E. (2007) Soil Biota, Ecosystem Services and Land Productivity. Ecological Economics 64 (2), 269-285.

Dr. Richard Bardgett

• Research Interests:
  •Richard Bardgett conducts research on the linkages between plant and soil communities, especially how soil organisms and their interactions influence nutrient cycling and the productivity and diversity of natural and managed plant communities. More recently, his work has become concerned with understanding how plant-soil interactions influence ecosystem dynamics, in the context of soil carbon sequestration. Most of his work is focused on temperate grasslands, but he also works in other ecosystems, such as those of arctic and alpine regions, and more recently the tropics.
• Suggested Readings:
  •Bardgett, R.D., Yeates, G.W. and Anderson, J.M. (2005) Patterns and determinants of soil biological diversity. In: Biological Diversity and Function in Soil, (Edited by Bardgett, R.D., Usher, M.B., and Hopkins, D.W.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 100-118
  •Cole, L., Buckland, S.M. and Bardgett, R.D. (2008) Responses of belowground animal communities to stress and disturbance. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 40, 505-514.

Dr. Val Behan-Pelletier

• Research Interests: 
  • Systematics, biodiversity and biogeography of oribatid mites in all habitats, with a particular focus at present on the Ceratozetoidea of North America. As species in this superfamily are found in soil and litter from high arctic to the subtropics, and in canopy, marine littoral and subaquatic habitats, they are valuable for biodiversity and biogeographic analysis.
  • Predicting changes in oribatid diversity in the Canadian high arctic with global warming (collaboration with Norwegian and Russian colleagues). Our contention is that we can predict based on knowledge of present species distribution, their traits, and the arctic fossil record.
• Suggested Readings:
  •DeDeyn, G. et al. 2008. Plant functional traits and soil carbon sequestration in contrasting biomes. Ecology Letters, 11: 516–531.
  •Maraun, M. et al. 2008. Soil Fauna. In E. Beck et al. (eds), Gradients in a Tropical Mountain Ecosystem of Ecuador. Ecological Studies 198.
  •Coleman, D.C. and Whitman, W.B. 2005. Linking species richness, biodiversity and ecosystem function in soil systems. Pedobiologia 49: 479-497.

Dr. Lijbert Brussaard

• Research Interests:
  •Biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Agricultural landscapes are important for the survival of a great deal of wildland biodiversity, while the challenge is to make wildland biodiversity more meaningful for the functioning of agricultural systems and the provision of ecosystem services. While these notions are becoming widespread, soil biodiversity is often not considered. This apparent omission has to be addressed, in particular considering that the above- and belowground parts of ecosystems may become increasingly decoupled under climate change. As co-chair of the agroBIODIVERSITY science committee and network of DIVERSITAS, the international programme for biodiversity science, I promote the advancement of science in this exciting area.
  •Soil biota – soil structure interrelationships. So-called modern agricultural management often disturbs the integrity of the soil community. As a result, the contributions of the larger soil biota, such as earthworms and termites, to the formation of soil structure and porosity has diminished. This likely has negative effects on the build-up and maintenance of soil organic matter. My research is aimed at quantifying such effects and exploring ways to restore the activity of this biota. I hypothesize that this may enhance the use efficiency of water and nutrients in agricultural systems, but trade-offs in terms of possible increases in the production of greenhouse gases are also considered.
• Suggested Readings:
  •Brussaard et al. 2007. Soil fauna and soil function in the fabric of the food web. Pedobiologia, 50: 447-462
  •Ettema et al. 2002. Spatial soil ecology. TRENDS in Ecology & Evolution. 17:177-183
  •J. Smith et al. 2008. Can arable field margins be managed to enhance their biodiversity, conservation and functional value for soil macrofauna? Journal of Applied Ecology. 45: 269-278

Dr. Dave Coleman

• Research Interests:
  •Kinetics of decomposition and nutrient cycling in forests and grasslands, in tropical and temperate climates. Relationships between decomposition and biodiversity of soil organisms.
  •Studies of energetics, nutrient cycling in man-managed agro-ecosystems and natural ecosystems. Functional roles of roots in the production-decomposition interface.
  •Nutrient cycling and O.M. dynamics in low input and conventional subtropical and tropical agroecosystems.
• Suggested Readings:
  •Adl et al. 2005. Slow recovery of soil biodiversity in sandy loam soils of Georgia after 25 years of no-tillage management. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment. 114:323-334.
  •Coleman 2008. From peds to paradoxes: Linkages between soil biota and their influences on ecological processes. Soil Biology & Biochemistry. 40:271-289.

Dr. Nancy Collins Johnson

• Research Interests:
  •Nancy Collins Johnson studies the factors that control the abundance, diversity, and functioning of mycorrhizal fungi in natural and human managed ecosystems. She and her students are developing models to better predict the distribution and symbiotic outcomes of mycorrhizal associations across environmental gradients.
• Suggested Readings:
  • Chaudhary, V.B., Lau, M.K. & Johnson, N.C. (2008). Macroecology of Microbes – Biogeography of the Glomeromycota. Chapter 26, In: Vama, editor, Mycorrhiza 3rd edition. Springer (in press).
  •Egerton-Warburton, LM, Johnson NC, Allen EB, 2007. Mycorrhizal community dynamics following nitrogen fertilization: A cross-site test in five grasslands. Ecological Monographs, 77:527-544.
  •Johnson N.C. et al. 2006. From Lillliput to Brobdingnag: Extending models of mycorrhizal function across scales. BioScience, 56: 889-900.

Dr. Gerlinde De Deyn

• Research Interests:
  •Gerlinde De Deyn investigates the interactions between plant communities and soil biota in the context of biodiversity and ecosystem functions, such as carbon cycling. She aims to understand how plant traits and their diversity are related to the traits of symbiotic, parasitic and saprophytic organisms and ecosystem processes in different ecosystems. Such knowledge should enhance restoration and conservation of both biodiversity and soil sustainability.
• Suggested Readings:
  •De Deyn, G.B and van der Putten, W.H. 2005. Linking aboveground and belowground diversity. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 20: 625-633.
  •De Deyn, G.B. et al. 2008. Plant functional traits and soil carbon sequestration in contrasting biomes.Ecology Letters, 11: 516–531.

Dr. Stuart Grandy

• Research Interests:
  •Stuart Grandy’s research examines how soil organisms interact with their environment to regulate ecosystem processes such as organic matter
  turnover, trace gas emissions, and agricultural productivity. This research encompasses multiple spatial scales and lies at the interface of soil ecology, biogeochemistry, and agronomy. While he uses a range of fundamental laboratory methods, which include molecular chemical and microbiological approaches, he is always striving to improve ecosystem management by understanding how it affects soil biodiversity and function.
• Suggested Readings:
  •Grandy AS, Neff, JC. In press. Molecular C dynamics downstream: The biochemical decomposition sequence and its impact on soil organic matter structure and function. Science of the Total Environment.
  •Grandy A.S., Neff, J.C., Weintraub M.N., 2007. Carbon structure and enzyme activities in alpine and forest ecosystems. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 39:2701-2711.

Dr. Paul Hebert

• Research Interests:
  •My laboratory is fixated on the development of DNA-based identification systems for eukaryotic life. Although my expertise lies with freshwater crustaceans and Lepidoptera, our fascination with DNA-based systems has provoked work on plants, fungi and many different groups of animals – even soil invertebrates. My personal efforts are now focused on gaining funding and recruiting scientific participation for the International Barcode of Life Project which will gather barcode records for 500K species over the next five years.
• Suggested Readings:
  •Smith M.A., Wood D.M., Janzen D.H., Hallwachs W., Hebert P.D.N., 2007. DNA barcodes affirm that 16 species of apparently generalist tropical parasitoid flies (Diptera, Tachinidae) are not all generalists.PNAS 104:4967-4972.
  •International Barcode of Life Project, Research Overview, 2008

Dr. Ian Hogg

• Research Interests:
  •General research interests include arctic and Antarctic biodiversity, ecology and conservation, and the consequences of global environmental changes for natural ecosystems. Previously studied habitats have ranged from temperate freshwater, estuarine and marine environments (both southern and northern hemisphere) to arctic and Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems. Studied taxa have included primarily invertebrates (e.g. crustaceans, collembolans), but also include fish and birds. Current research is very much focused on the molecular identification of taxa using mtDNA “barcoding” and “ARISA” techniques. This includes New Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technology (FRST)-funded research on fish and zooplankton in freshwater ecosystems, and a FRST-funded International Polar Year (IPY) project on factors determining the distribution of soil biota in the Ross Dependency, Antarctica.
• Suggested Readings:
  • Caruso, T., Borghini, F., Bucci, C., Colacevich, A. & Bargagli, R. (2007) Modelling local-scale determinants and the probability of microarthropod species occurrence in Antarctic soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 39: 2949-2956.
  • Hogg, I.D., Cary, S.C., Convey, P., Newsham, K.K., OíDonnell, A.G., Adams, B.J., Aislabie, J., Frati, F., Stevens, M.I. & Wall, D.H. (2006) Biotic interactions in Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems: are they a factor? Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 38: 3035-3040.

Dr. David Porco

• Research Interests:
  •David Porco is currently involved in the DNA barcoding of two major groups of the soil fauna: collembolans and earthworms. Early results have been encouraging revealing cases of overlooked species and cryptic diversity. The construction of barcode databases for several groups of soil organisms will provide invaluable help for new bioindicators of soil ecosystems. Furthermore, their future use in large scale environmental DNA studies promises tremendous advances in soil biodiversity monitoring.
• Suggested Readings:
  •Pfenninger M., Nowak C., Kley C., Steinke D., Streit B., 2007. Utility of DNA taxonomy and barcoding for the inference of larval community structure in morphologically cryptic Chrionomus (Diptera) species.Molecular Ecology 16:1957-1968.
  •Roesch L.F.W., Fulthorpe R.R., Riva A., Casella G., Hadwin A.K.M., Kent A.D., Daroub S.H., Carnago F.A.O., Farmerie W.G., Triplett E.W., 2007. Pyrosequencing enumerates and contrasts soil microbial diversity. The ISME Journal 1:283-290.

Dr. Ashley Sparrow

• Research Interests:
  •My career-long research interests cover a broad spectrum of terrestrial ecology. I have worked primarily in hot and cold (polar) deserts, semi-deserts and Mediterranean-climate ecosystems. My interests could be generally classified as landscape ecology (although not in a geographer’s sense of that label) with foci on the interactions between landscape heterogeneity, geomorphological processes, successional processes and long-term large-scale disturbance regimes. Much of this work has been conducted in a framework of applied science needs relating to the sustainable management of grazing, fire and timber, and restoration of ecosystems degraded by past human actions. Plant/soil and above-ground/below-ground exchanges are central to my understanding of landscape ecology, and these components may be expressed as three key factors that I believe critical to soil biodiversity and its significance for terrestrial ecosystems:
  • spatial redistribution of soil resources and biota (otherwise known as allochthonous inputs) which have been a special focus of the Antarctic research group of which I am a member
  • spatial self-organization processes of desert ecosystems with respect to resource patterns, soil formation and biota, and plant productivity and species composition
  • complexity theory and the use of thermodynamic indicators of ecosystem development, stability and degradation, including exergy and its relation to metabolic scaling “laws”.
• Suggested Readings:
  •Hopkins, D.W., Sparrow, A.D., Novis, P.M., Gregorich, E.G., Elberling, B. & Greenfield, L.G. 2006. Controls on the distribution of productivity and organic resources in Antarctic dry valley soils. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B: Biological Sciences 273: 2687-2695.
  •Tongway, D.J., Sparrow, A.D. & Friedel, M.H. 2003. Degradation and recovery processes in grazed arid grasslands of central Australia: 1. Soil and land resources. Journal of Arid Environments 55: 301-326.

Dr. Tony Trofymow

• Research Interests:
  •Tony Trofymow Studies the role of soil biota in detrital carbon fluxes and decomposition processes. He is leader of the Canadian Intersite Decomposition Experiment (CIDET), a study that examines long-term litter and wood decay rates at 21 forested sites across Canada. He also leads the Coastal Forest Chronosequence Experiment, a study examining changes in ecosystem structure, processes and diversity in old-growth and managed forests of coastal British Colombia.
  •He is co-investigator in the Canadian Carbon Plan/Fluxnet Canada Research Network studying the effects of disturbance on stand level C fluxes, stocks, and component fluxes at seven stations across Canada. He leads studies on historic C budgets, C stock distribution, litterfall, and root production at the coastal BC station, C stocks and budgets at the interior BC station and a cross-station decomposition experiment.
  •Additionally, Dr. Trofymow is a participant in the British Columbia Ectomycorrhizal Research Network. He leads studies on ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity under variable retention forestry and development of on-line taxonomic tools for ectomycorrhizal fungi, including Concise Descriptions of North American Ectomycorrhizae, Ectomycorrhizae Descriptions Database, Photoprofiles of Ectomycorrhizae, and Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.
• Suggested articles:
  •Trofymow J.A., Addison, J., Blackwell B.A., He, F., Preston, C.A., and Marshall, V. 2003. Attributes and indicators of old-growth and successional Douglas-fir forests on Vancouver Island. Environmental Reviews. 11:S187-S204.
  •Addison, J., Trofymow, J., and Marshall, V.G. 2003b. Abundance, species diversity, and community structure of Collembola in successional coastal temperate forests on Vancouver Island, Canada. Applied Soil Ecology. 24:233-246.
  •Outerbridge, R.A. and J.A.Trofymow. 2004. Diversity of ectomycorrhizae on experimentally planted Douglas-fir seedlings in variable retention forestry sites on southern Vancouver Island. Canadian Journal of Botany. 82: 1671-1681
  •Climate Change 2007 – Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC. Cambridge University Press.

Dr. Volkmar Wolters

• Research Interests:
  •Functional implications of soil biodiversity.
  • Upscaling of soil ecological processes to the landscape level.
  •Above-belowground interactions
• Suggested Readings: 
  •Chauvat M, Wolters V, Dauber J (2007) Response of collembolan communities to land-use change and grassland succession. Ecography 30, 183 – 192.
  •Sander A-C, Purtauf T, Holzhauer SIJ, Wolters V (2006) Landscape effects on the genetic structure of the ground beetle Poecilus versicolor STURM 1824. Biodiversity and Conservation 15, 245-259.
  •Ekschmitt K, Liu M, Vetter S, Fox O, Wolters V (2005) Strategies used by soil biota to overcome soil organic matter stability – why is dead organic matter left over in the soil? Geoderma 128, 167-176.