Broadly, I am interested in investigating the mechanisms by which changes in plant community composition impact ecosystem function and the role of feedbacks between soil microbial and plant communities in such impacts.
My dissertation work looks at how the invasive C4 perennial grass, Bothriochloa ischaemum, King Ranch bluestem (KR), alters carbon cycling in the areas it invades. The central hypothesis of my work is that KR alters carbon cycling directly through increasing carbon uptake during hotter, drier periods and indirectly through microbially mediated process by providing poorer quality soil inputs than do dominant native plant species.
Although I love ecosystem and physiological ecology, what I really want to be when I grow up is an organic farmer. The idea of using my ecological training to develop methods for growing yummy food to eat in a sustainable manner really
appeals to me. In particular, I am interested in working at the grassroots level to improve farming techniques in areas where conventional farming has lead to decreased soil fertility and productivity in West Africa.