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Root and soil ecology

Faculty in the Ecology graduate program with research interests in this area.

Name	Email/phone	Interests include
Barbercheck, Mary Professor of Entomology	meb34@psu.edu 814-863-2982 (University Park)	Soil ecology: biological aspects of soil quality in sustainable and organic agriculture systems, soil arthropod community ecology, ecology of entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi; Ecosystem ecology.
Bruns, Mary Ann Associate Professor of Soil Science/Microbial Ecology	mvb10@psu.edu 814-863-0779 (University Park)	Functional ecology of biogeochemically important microbial populations.
Comas, Louise Assistant Professor/Research Associate (Horticulture)	lhc105@psu.edu 814-865-0697 (University Park)	Physiological ecology, plant functional roles in communities, evolutionary ecology, comparative biology of belowground plant form and function, root and fungal co-evolution.
Day, Rick Associate Professor of Soil Science and Environmental Information Systems	rday@psu.edu 814-863-1615 (University Park)	Using geographic information systems, terrain analysis, remote sensing and global positioning for environmental assessment and modeling, soil mapping, and land use planning; soil hydrology; water quality.
Drohan, Patrick Assistant Professor of Pedology	pjd7@psu.edu 814-863-4246 (University Park)	Soil formation and biogeochemistry due to land use and ecosystem change; soil and water degradation, and the remediation of soil physical and chemical properties in urban environments.
Eissenstat, David Professor of Woody Plant Physiology Chair, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology	dme9@psu.edu 814-863-3371 (University Park)	Plant physiological ecology, ecosystem ecology, climate change biology, root and soil ecology.
Gallagher, Robert Associate Professor of Cropping Systems	rsg14@psu.edu 814-865-1547 (University Park)	Soil seed bank ecology. Plant-soil interactions. Agroecosystem development and management.
Koide, Roger Professor of Horticultural Ecology	rxk13@psu.edu 814-863-0710 (University Park)	Plant ecology; ecology of mycorrhizal symbioses; agricultural ecology; community ecology of fungi.
Lin, Henry Associate Professor of Hydropedology/Soil Hydrology	henrylin@psu.edu 814-865-6726 (University Park)	Hydropedology; environmental soil and water sciences; scaling; watershed water quality; geospatial technologies; environmental modeling, artificial intelligence.
Lynch, Jonathan Professor of Plant Nutrition	jpl4@psu.edu 814-863-2256 (University Park)	Plant ecophysiology and agroecology; plant adaptation to nutrient stress; biogeochemistry of the Eastern deciduous forest; sustainable international development.
Macalady, Jennifer Assistant Professor of Geosciences	jlm80@psu.edu 814-865-6330 (University Park)	Microbial ecology; microbial role in weathering and soil processes; controls on microbial diversity; ecological interactions in microbially dominated systems (ancient earth analogs).
Mortensen, David Professor of Weed Ecology / Biology	dmortensen@psu.edu 814-865-1906 (University Park)	Assessing how climatic, physiographic and soil variation affects cropping systems performance.
Smithwick, Erica Assistant Professor of Geography	smithwick@psu.edu 814-865-6693 (University Park)	Landscape and ecosystem ecology. Disturbance ecology & disturbance synergies. Ecosystem simulation models. Climate change and ecosystem carbon storage. Fire and soil nitrogen. Microbial community composition and function. Spatial statistics.