Forest ecosystem functions and health

This project investigates how free-living microbial communities interact with ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) and their host plants to regulate soil biogeochemical cycling, EMF-mediated nutrient acquisition, and plant tolerance to abiotic (e.g., heavy metals and urbanization) and biotic stressors (e.g., invasive species). Using the Suillus–Pinus symbiosis as a tractable model, we integrate multi-omics with advanced chemical imaging (e.g., X-ray fluorescence imaging and NanoSIMS imaging) to resolve the mechanistic links among microbial interactions, nutrient transfer, and carbon dynamics at the soil-root interface. Ultimately, this work delivers foundational insights into EMF-centered plant-microbiome partnerships that shape ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling, soil and plant health, and ecosystem stability, informing strategies to sustain resilient terrestrial ecosystems under accelerating environmental change.

Papers: Wang et al. 2025 Lofgren et al. 2024 Zhang et al. 2024 Luo et al. 2023 Zhang et al. 2021 Luo et al. 2016

Funding: DOE-BER-Systems Bio (DE-SC0012704; participant), DOE-BER-Systems Bio (DE-FOA-0002059; participant) NSF-IOS-PBI (2029168; participant), BNL-NSLS-II (309128, 310375, and 310014; co-PI)