Team

Craig studies how environmental factors (e.g. climate, soils nutrients) affect the rate at which plants and microbes cycle carbon through ecosystems. His interests include mycorrhizal ecology, coupled elemental cycling, and quantifying uncertainty in ecosystem calculations. Currently Craig’s research focuses on how permafrost thaw affects the exchange of carbon between the Read more…

Understanding how ecosystem response to future climate change become more critical issue for ecological study. Mostly, ecosystem carbon cycle is central to ecosystem response to climate change. Chang Gyo Jung, PhD student in the Luo lab at ECOSS, is trying to explain the tallgrass ecosystem responses. Since his undergraduate and master Read more…

Kainrath’s research is focused on improving plant restoration techniques in sagebrush habitats that have been invaded by Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass). A major component of his study is to determine whether microbial inoculation is a beneficial option for land managers to improve growth and survivorship of transplanted native shrubs and grasses. Read more…

Hannah is researching how local adaptation of native plant populations might influence plant trait and performance. Using a common garden approach, this research aims to broaden our understanding of where to source native seeds for large-scale ecological restoration. Full Curriculum Vitae

Li’s research centers on soil microbial ecology and carbon biogeochemistry in the context of climate change, by looking into the roles of functional groups of microbes in carbon cycle and predicting their responses to changing environmental conditions. He also explores microbial ecology of pollutant degradation for the development of novel Read more…

Guopeng’s graduate work involves exploring the response of carbon cycle to altered precipitation amount and interannual variation in desert grassland using model method. Altered amounts and increased interannual variation of precipitation are likely to occur on a regional to global scale in the late 21st Century, yet understanding the interactive Read more…

Liu’s main research interests include soil microbial ecology, biogeochemistry (carbon and nitrogen cycling) and global climate change. Currently he is working on soil microbial diversity and it affect C cycling in response to substrate (sugar, plant litter or other organic materials) inputs. Also he is looking at what types of Read more…