Partnership with NAU Grounds for Biocrust Landscaping Projects on Campus

This morning I met with members of the NAU Grounds department to collect mosses for biocrust cultivation and landscaping of the facilities here at NAU. One of the projects discussed is the installation of a moss green roof on the Pods of the ARD building. The idea behind a moss roof is to have waterless, maintenance free, vegetation that sequesters carbon and looks beautiful. We made a substantial collection today, which will be used in this project. Thanks to Michael, Matt, Bryan, and Tom of NAU grounds for their eagerness and creativity in developing novel and appropriate landscaping for the future of the Southwest!

Bowker Lab member, Michael Remke, recognized as ARCS Scholar

The Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS), Phoenix Chapter recently awarded Michael Remke a Scholar Award for displaying success and achievement thus far in his scientific career. The award includes a sum of money for no strings attached spending and an honorary dinner and reception.

The ARCS Foundation advances science and technology in the United States by providing financial awards to academically outstanding U.S. citizens studying to complete degrees in science, engineering and medical research.

It is ARCS Foundation's belief that support of STEM education is essential to US economic growth and technological competitiveness, and helps to ensure continued US leadership in global innovation, health and quality of life. 

Michael Remke's research (see link) investigates the role soil organisms play in restoring native plants and facilitating plant survival in novel environments. His research thus far suggests that restoring plants with soil organisms from the plant population's site of origin, or home team soil organisms, may be an effective tool to restore and preserve ecosystem services in the face of a changing and dynamic climate. These same methods appear to be effective in restoring sites impacted by exotic species invasion. As Michael continues his research, he hopes to find creative and economically viable ways to incorporate his findings into landscape level efforts. 

For more information on the Scholar Award, see the below link. 

https://www.arcsfoundation.org/about-arcs-scholars

New radio show highlighting ecological research from the Colorado Plateau

Here is a link to the first installment in what will become a series of radio shows highlighting interesting and relevant research going on within the Colorado Plateau.  This show examines the consequences of changes to biogeochemical cycles (specifically nitrogen) in arid and semi-arid regions. Keep an eye out for a biocrust specific radio show in the future!

Nitrogen in the desert

New collaboration and study site: MPG Ranch in Montana

Syntrichia ruralis

Peltigera rufescense

Thunderstorm over the Bitterroots.

Joshua Lisbon, Kyle Doherty and Philip Ramsey on the way up Mt. Baldy.

Soil surface from the same location as above, featuring Diploschistes muscorum and friends.

I am absolutely delighted to hear that we'll be able to initiate a new research collaboration with MPG Ranch in Montana this year. MPG Ranch features intriguing land use histories, steep environmental gradients, an active restoration program, and crusts...lots of 'em. Oh, and its absolutely beautiful and close to one of the best cities in the USA, Missoula. Emphatic thanks to Rebecca Durham, Philip Ramsey, Joshua Lisbon, and Dan Mummey for the excellent tour last summer, and assistance in developing this collaboration. We hope to make MPG Ranch a northern cornerstone of our biocrust restoration research program.

Ph.D. Student opening in post-fire restoration using mosses

The School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, seeks a motivated Ph.D. student to conduct field and greenhouse experiments near Flagstaff, Arizona starting in Fall 2015. The student will be co-advised by Matthew Bowker and Pete Fulé. The student will explore the feasibility of using greenhouse cultured soil mosses as a restoration material to reduce erosion and restore hydrological function after severe wildfire. The project will: 1. Develop best practices for ex-situ cultivation of a multi-species fire moss inoculum. 2. Determine field establishment rates of greenhouse-produced fire moss inoculum on burned soil. 3. Document the ecological roles of fire mosses in post-fire succession in Arizona ponderosa pineforests. 4. Conduct a preliminary economic feasibility analysis of a hypothetical post-fire restoration technology based on mosses. Four years of funding are available to the student (Annual stipend of $19,950, tuition remission, and student health coverage) in addition to modest project costs. The student will be strongly encouraged and helped to seek additional resources (grants, scholarships, etc.) to help extend the project.
          
            Research Environment: The School of Forestry is one of the top Forestry Schools in the nation, and a productive research environment, with faculty members specializing in a variety of ecological topics such as landscape ecology, ecological restoration, plant ecophysiology, entomology, hydrology, and soil ecology among other topics.
            Preferred Qualifications: Master of Science in Forestry, Biology, Environmental Science or related field, or a Bachelor of Science in these fields supplemented with research experience (undergraduate thesis, capstone or internship, or employment-related experience). Candidates with field research experience will be strongly favored, especially in maintenance and construction of field experiments. Candidates with previous experience in soil ecology and/or fire ecology will also be favored. Field work will take place in remote areas, elevation 7000-9000 feet, with steep and rugged terrain. The candidate must satisfy all requirements set by the School of Forestry, and Northern Arizona University.
Admissions requirements (Deadline March 15, 2015):

    GPA of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale in all college and university work
    GRE scores in the top 40th percentile
    If English is not your native language:
    a score of at least 80 on the internet-based TOEFL or
    550 on the paper-based TOEFL or
    213 on the computer-based TOEFL
    Three letters of recommendation

How to apply:  First contact us directly (matthew.bowker@nau.edu, pete.fule@nau.edu) to state your research interests, and motivations for attending graduate school, with “fire moss graduate student inquiry” in the header. Please provide a resume or C.V., and provide your GRE scores and GPA. If we agree that you are a good match for the position, we will encourage you to apply to the program.



Useful Links

Dr. Bowker’s web page - http://bowkerlab@blogspot.com

Dr. Fulé’s web page - http://nau.edu/CEFNS/Forestry/Faculty-and-Staff/Directory/Fulé/

School of Forestry - http://nau.edu/forestry/

SOF Ph.D. program - http://nau.edu/CEFNS/Forestry/Degrees/PhD/

New Paper:Mycorrhizal phenotypes and the Law of the Minimum

Nancy Collins Johnson^1,*, Gail W. T. Wilson², Jacqueline A. Wilson², R. Michael Miller³ and Matthew A. Bowker⁴

Mycorrhizal phenotypes and the Law of the Minimum

          

New Phytologist DOI:10.1111/nph.13172

Keywords:

• arbuscular mycorrhizas;context dependency;light;mutualism;nitrogen (N);parasitism;phosphorus (P);stoichiometry

Summary

• Mycorrhizal phenotypes arise from interactions among plant and fungal genotypes and the environment. Differences in the stoichiometry and uptake capacity of fungi and plants make arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inherently more nitrogen (N) limited and less phosphorus (P) limited than their host plants. Mutualistic phenotypes are most likely in P-limited systems and commensal or parasitic phenotypes in N-limited systems. Carbon (C) limitation is expected to cause phenotypes to shift from mutualism to commensalism and even parasitism.
• Two experiments compared the influence of fertilizer and shade on mycorrhizas in Andropogon gerardii across three naturally N-limited or P-limited grasslands. A third experiment examined the interactive effects of N and P enrichment and shade on A. gerardii mycorrhizas.
• Our experiments generated the full spectrum of mycorrhizal phenotypes. These findings support the hypothesis that mutualism is likely in P-limited systems and commensalism or parasitism is likely in N-limited systems. Furthermore, shade decreased C-assimilation and generated less mutualistic mycorrhizal phenotypes with reduced plant and fungal biomass.
• Soil fertility is a key controller of mycorrhizal costs and benefits and the Law of the Minimum is a useful predictor of mycorrhizal phenotype. In our experimental grasslands arbuscular mycorrhizas can ameliorate P-limitation but not N-limitation.

Kyle Doherty's Thesis Defense: True life confessions of a moss farmer

Come hear Kyle Doherty (M.S. Biology Student)
defend his thesis:

9:30 AM, ARD Building, Large Pod, 
Northern Arizona University.