Temperature response of soil microbes: Much of my research program centres around understanding how microbes (from enzymes to microbially-driven ecosystem processes) respond and adapt to changes in temperature to better predict the effects of climate change. My research group currently has many ongoing projects related to this research theme, including a Royal Society Marsden funded project exploring the resiliency of soil food webs to warming along geothermal gradients in Aotearoa. Please feel free to get in touch to learn more.
Fungal traits: Fungi play a critical role in decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems, with
major consequences for ecosystem processes and biogeochemical cycling. Yet, little is known
about how fungal traits will respond to climate change and how that will impact terrestrial
biogeochemical cycling. My work on this topic combined field and lab experiments with mathematical and statistical techniques to improve understanding of fungal physiology and the role fungi play in ecosystem dynamics.
major consequences for ecosystem processes and biogeochemical cycling. Yet, little is known
about how fungal traits will respond to climate change and how that will impact terrestrial
biogeochemical cycling. My work on this topic combined field and lab experiments with mathematical and statistical techniques to improve understanding of fungal physiology and the role fungi play in ecosystem dynamics.
Sustainable agriculture: Dairy and sheep farming account for a major sector of Aotearoa's economy and global food security, yet come at the considerable cost of increased greenhouse gas emissions and loss of native habitats. Using the many research farms available at Lincoln University, my research group and collaborators are investigating different ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural landscapes by better understanding the soil microbial mechanisms at play.