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Plant and Soil Biogeochemistry

Nutrient and water availability are key controls over the distribution of native and invasive species on the Colorado Plateau and over the exchange of carbon between dryland ecosystems and the atmosphere. Our current studies include sampling of soil respiration fluxes across different parent-material types, across land-use gradients, and across areas with and without significant atmospheric dust accumulation. We also measure soil nutrient content, carbon stocks, and microbial biomass. These measurements elucidate carbon and nutrient cycling through desert ecosystems and the resilience of biogeochemical cycles to disturbance. The photo below shows an automated soil CO₂ flux system installed near Canyonlands National Park.