Faculty

Jason Kaye

Chair, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry

Graduate Programs
416 ASI
University Park, PA 16802

Email jpk12@psu.edu
Phone 814-863-1614

Overview

Ecosystem ecology; global change biology; biogeochemistry of nitrogen and carbon cycling in managed and unmanaged ecosystems.

Areas of Expertise

Cover Crop Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Cover Crops Keyphrases
Nitrogen Earth and Planetary Sciences
Carbon Dioxide Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Pinus Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Cover Crop Earth and Planetary Sciences
Ponderosa Pine Forest Keyphrases
Agroecosystem Keyphrases

Cover crop implementation strategies differentially impact in-field and downstream ecosystem service provisioning
Kalra Marali, Raj Cibin, Jason Kaye, May 1 2026, In: Journal of Environmental Quality
Date: May 1 2026

Legacy effects of cover crops on weed biomass and yield of the subsequent corn crop
Barbara Baraibar, Brosi A. Bradley, Mitchell C. Hunter, Charles M. White, Denise M. Finney, Jason P. Kaye, Megan E. Schipanski, David A. Mortensen, Feb 2026, In: European Journal of Agronomy
Date: Feb 2026

Systems approach to nitrogen modeling in the Chesapeake Bay
Paniz Mohammadpour, Caitlin Grady, Lisa Wainger, Jason Kaye, David Abler, Raj Cibin, Jan 1 2026, In: Journal of Environmental Quality
Date: Jan 1 2026

A Lecithin Liposome Stimulates Soil Microbial Respiration and Nitrate Immobilization
Camille R. Butkus, Julie N. Weitzman, Alireza Mohammadzadeh, Patrick J. Dunn, Jason P. Kaye, Leanne M. Gilbertson, Steven R. Little, Emily M. Elliott, Dec 15 2025, In: ACS Agricultural Science and Technology
Date: Dec 15 2025

Managing cover crop mixtures over a decade via species replacement and seeding rate adjustment
Sheryl C. Hosler, Ebony G. Murrell, Kathleen E. Arrington, Bàrbara Baraibar, Mary E. Barbercheck, Brosi A. Bradley, Mac Burgess, Denise M. Finney, Mitchell C. Hunter, James C. LaChance, David A. Mortensen, Charles M. White, Carolyn J. Lowry, Jason P. Kaye, Dec 2025, In: Agricultural and Environmental Letters
Date: Dec 2025

Microbial colonizers in an agroecosystem under diverse cover crop treatments
Sarah C. Richards, William L. King, Lily Y. Cao, Brosi A. Bradley, Emma K. Rice, Carolyn J. Lowry, Raúl Román, Jason P. Kaye, Estelle M. Couradeau, Terrence H. Bell, Oct 23 2025, In: Phytobiomes Journal
Date: Oct 23 2025

Delta yield predicts nitrogen fertilizer requirements for corn in US production systems
Raziel A. Ordóñez, Charles M. White, John T. Spargo, Jason P. Kaye, Matthew Ruark, Javed Iqbal, Charles A. Shapiro, Wade E. Thomason, Nicole M. Fiorellino, Louis A. Thorne, Amy Shober, John H. Grove, Sarah M. Hirsh, Ray R. Weil, Michael J. Castellano, Sotirios V. Archontoulis, Jerry J. Hatfield, C..., Sep 1 2025, In: Agronomy Journal
Date: Sep 1 2025

Leveraging by-products of the agri-food industry for the application of anaerobic soil disinfestation in organic high tunnel vegetable production
F. Di Gioia, J. Ono-Raphel, K. Arrington, R. Balaguer, F. Dini-Andreote, Jason Philip Kaye, E. Rosskopf, May 2025, In: Acta Horticulturae
Date: May 2025

Effects of carbon sources on soil bacterial community dynamics during anaerobic soil disinfestation in an organic tomato production system
Joe G. Ono-Raphel, Gordon F. Custer, Kathleen Arrington, Ben Morrison, Jason Kaye, Erin Rosskopf, Francisco Dini-Andreote, Francesco Di Gioia, Apr 1 2025, In: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
Date: Apr 1 2025

A systematic review of ecosystem services modeling for environmental health assessment
Kalra Marali, Robert M. Chiles, Jason P. Kaye, Christine J. Kirchhoff, Lisa Wainger, Raj Cibin, Mar 2025, In: Ecological Indicators
Date: Mar 2025

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Roots exert a strong influence on the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration
Richard D. Boone, Knute J. Nadelhoffer, Jana D. Canary, Jason Philip Kaye, Dec 10 1998, In: Nature
Citations: 931

Competition for nitrogen between plants and soil microorganisms
Jason P. Kaye, Stephen C. Hart, Apr 1997, In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution
Citations: 779

Using cover crops to mitigate and adapt to climate change. A review
Jason P. Kaye, Miguel Quemada, Feb 1 2017, In: Agronomy for Sustainable Development
Citations: 617

A distinct urban biogeochemistry?
Jason P. Kaye, Peter M. Groffman, Nancy B. Grimm, Lawrence A. Baker, Richard V. Pouyat, Apr 2006, In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution
Citations: 610

A framework for evaluating ecosystem services provided by cover crops in agroecosystems
Meagan E. Schipanski, Mary Barbercheck, Margaret R. Douglas, Denise M. Finney, Kristin Haider, Jason P. Kaye, Armen R. Kemanian, David A. Mortensen, Matthew R. Ryan, John Tooker, Charlie White, Mar 2014, In: Agricultural Systems
Citations: 570

An integrated conceptual framework for long-term social-ecological research
Scott L. Collins, Stephen R. Carpenter, Scott M. Swinton, Daniel E. Orenstein, Daniel L. Childers, Ted L. Gragson, Nancy B. Grimm, Grove J. Morgan, Sharon L. Harlan, Jason P. Kaye, Alan K. Knapp, Gary P. Kofinas, John J. Magnuson, William H. McDowell, John M. Melack, Laura A. Ogden, Robertson G. Phi..., Aug 2011, In: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Citations: 551

Biomass production and carbon/nitrogen ratio influence ecosystem services from cover crop mixtures
Denise M. Finney, Charles M. White, Jason P. Kaye, Jan 2016, In: Agronomy Journal
Citations: 472

Carbon fluxes, nitrogen cycling, and soil microbial communities in adjacent urban, native and agricultural ecosystems
Jason P. Kaye, R. L. McCulley, I. C. Burke, Apr 2005, In: Global Change Biology
Citations: 359

Functional diversity in cover crop polycultures increases multifunctionality of an agricultural system
Denise M. Finney, Jason P. Kaye, 2016, In: Journal of Applied Ecology
Citations: 234

Living cover crops have immediate impacts on soil microbial community structure and function
D. M. Finney, J. S. Buyer, J. P. Kaye, Jul 1 2017, In: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Citations: 191

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Office

Graduate Programs

Centers & Institutes

Ecology IGDP

Jason Kaye Credit: Photo provided. All Rights Reserved.

April 07, 2026

Kaye honored with Graduate Program Chair Leadership Award

July 28, 2025

Huck student receives U.S. National Science Foundation fellowship

Five new research collaborations between Penn State and minority-serving institutions selected to receive seed funding via the Inter-Institutional Partnerships for Diversifying Research program

March 15, 2025

Ag Sciences research institute SAFES funds projects addressing critical issues

February 28, 2024

Three Ecology students receive Ag Sci awards

An AI-generated concept of a sustainable community resulting in a resilient and adaptable environment and improved quality of life for people. Credit: Adobe Firefly. All Rights Reserved.

November 06, 2023

Collaborative landscape design approach may improve resiliency, human well-being

Scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences received a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to investigate methods to enhance soil health and suppress weeds within organic annual and perennial rotations. Credit: Contributed photo. All Rights Reserved.

October 17, 2023

USDA grant awarded for study on soil health, weed control in organic operations

Emma Rice, Penn State ecology program doctoral degree candidate, developed a new method that uses molecular analysis to estimate the composition of plant species in the root biomass of mixtures. The method will be used in a research project to develop more effective cover crop mixtures. Credit: Chris Orndorff/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

September 12, 2023

USDA grant to fund research on ‘farm tuning’ cover crop mixtures

The cover crops cocktail experiment at Penn State's Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center was established in 2011. It has turned out to be fertile ground for training graduate students. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

August 21, 2023

Cover crops project provides fertile ground for USDA graduate fellows

Dave Eissenstat, professor of woody plant physiology, chaired Penn State’s Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology from 2007 to 2017 and served as interim head of the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management for several years. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

January 31, 2023

Eissenstat retires from College of Ag Sciences after three decades at Penn State

The researchers sampled soils under cover crops belonging to three plant functional types at plots that are part of a long-term cover-crops experiment at Penn State’s Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center in central Pennsylvania. Credit: Michael Houtz/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

September 21, 2022

Mixed cover crops capture carbon in soil, could help mitigate climate change

One of the challenges that farmers face is deciding which nutrient sources to use and how much to apply to their fields. The online tool predicts corn yield based on the amount of nitrogen that is slowly released from the soil and decomposing cover crops. Using site-specific information, the tool calculates the amount of nitrogen needed to supplement the existing soil fertility and to achieve a goal for corn yield. IMAGE: JAMES JORDAN/FLICKR

September 24, 2020

Team wins grant to develop nitrogen fertilizer decision tool for organic farmers

Lead researcher Joseph Amsili taking core samples of cover crops at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center. The study revealed that cover crop mixtures increased total carbon inputs to soil because they simultaneously had high root and shoot inputs and they promoted higher carbon inputs from residues left by the following corn cash crop. IMAGE: JASON KAYE RESEARCH GROUP, PENN STATE

August 12, 2020