Research Summaries

Collaborators Research Summaries

  1. The response of soil carbon storage and microbially mediated carbon turnover to simulated climatic disturbance in a northern peatland forest: revisiting the concept of soil organic matter recalcitrance. Principal Investigators: Joel E. Kostka, Georgia Institute of Technology & Jeff Chanton, Florida State University (2012-2013) Summary 
  2. Understanding the mechanisms underlying heterotrophic CO2 and CH4 fluxes in a peatland with deep soil warming and atmospheric CO2 enrichment.Principal Investigators: Scott D. Bridgham, University of Oregon & Jason Keller, Chapman University (2015 renewal final)
    Summary 
  3. Mercury and sulfur dynamics in the spruce experiment. Principal Investigators: Brandy Toner and Ed Nater, University of Minnesota & Randy Kolka and Steve Sebestyen, USDA Forest Service MN (2103 to present)
    Summary 
  4. Improving models to predict phenological responses to global change. Principal Investigator: Andrew D. Richardson, Harvard University (2013 to present) 
    Summary 
  5. Lichen community responses to warming. Principal Investigators: Bruce McCune, Oregon State University, Sarah Jovan, USDA Forest Service OR (2013 to present) 
    Summary
  6. Fungal, bacterial, and archaeal communities mediating C cycling and trace gas flux in peatland ecosystems subject to climate change. Principal Investigator: Erik Lilleskov, USDA Forest Service with Joint Genome Institute Support (2013 to present) 
    Summary
  7. Toward a predictive understanding of the response of belowground microbial carbon turnover to climate change drivers in a boreal peatland. Principal Investigators: Joel E. Kostka Georgia Institute of Technology & Jeffrey P. Chanton, William T. Cooper Florida State University (2014 to present) 
    Summary
  8. Can microbial ecology inform ecosystem level c-n cycling response to climate change? Principal Investigators: Kirsten Hofmockel, Iowa State University & Erik Hobbie, University of New Hampshire (2014 to present) 
    Summary
  9. Peatland Mercury Cycling in a Changing Climate: A Large-Scale Field Manipulation Study. Principal Investigator: Carl Mitchell, University of Toronto - Scarborough (2014-present) 
    Summary
  10. Effects of experimental warming & elevated CO2 on trace gas emissions from a northern Minnesota black spruce peatland: measurement and modeling.Principal Investigator: Adrien Finzi, Boston University (2014-present) 
    Summary TBD
  11. Functioning of wetlands as a source of atmospheric methane: a multi-scale and multi-disciplinary approach. Principal Investigator: Karis McFarlane and Xavier Mayali, Mike Singleton, Ate Visser, Jennifer Pett-Ridge, Brad Esser, Tom Guilderson Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (2014-present) 
    Summary
  12. Using microbial enzyme decomposition models to study the effects of peat warming and/or CO2 enrichment on peatland decomposition. Principal Investigator: Brian H. Hill and Colleen M. Elonen, Terri M. Jicha, Mary F. Moffett US Environmental Protection Agency (2014-present) 
    Summary TBD
  13. The role of the Sphagnum microbiome in carbon and nutrient cycling in peatlands - JGI's Community Science Program. Principal Investigators: Joel E. Kostka and Gen Glass Georgia Institute of Technology, David Weston Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Erik Lilleskov USDA Forest Service – Houghton, MI, Jon Shaw Duke University, and Susannah Tringe at the Joint Genome Institute. (2015-present) 
    Summary TBD
  14. Soil fauna biodiversity sampling at SPRUCE. Principal Investigator: Zoë Lindo University of Western Ontario. (starting in 2015) 
    Summary
  15. Monitoring warming and elevated CO2 induced changes in photosynthetic efficiency via canopy spectral reflectance. Principal Investigators: Michael J. Falkowski University of Minnesota, Evan Kane Michigan Technological University, Brian Benscoter Florida Atlantic University, & Randy Kolka US Forest Service. (Starting in 2015?) 
    Summary
  16. Wood decomposition rates and functional types in a shifting climate. Principal Investigators: Jonathan Schilling and Jason Oliver, University of Minnesota, Randy Kolka, United States Forest Service (starting in 2015) 
    Summary
  17. Microbial growth and carbon and nutrient use partitioning under peatland warming and elevated CO2. Principal Investigators: Jessica Gutknecht, University of Minnesota (2014-present using startup funds, with an intention to receive extramural funding soon). 
    Summary
  18. Modeling porewater stable carbon isotopes of CH4 and CO2 to estimate in situ microbial rates. Principal Invesitagor:  Rebecca Neumann, Univeristy of Washington. (2015-present).
  19. SPRUCE Plot-scale Terrestrial LIDAR applications.  Principal Investigator: Nancy Glenn, Boise State University. (2015 to pesent funded under subcontract to the SPRUCE project).
  20. Linking experiments with models.  Principal Investigator:  Yiqi Luo, University of Oklahoma. (2015-present funded under subcontract to the SPRUCE Project). 
  21. Quantification of aqueous Fe(II)/Fe(III) fluxes from SPRUCE treatment plots. Principal investigator:  Steven Hall, Iowa State University.  (2016-present)
  22. Mechanistic modeling of methane cycle at SPRUCE. Principal Investigator: Xiaofeng Xu, San Diego State University. (2014-present) 
    Summary
  23. Deep C: Deep soil carbon cycling in a warming world – the molecular marker perspective. Principal Investigators: Michael W.I. Schmidt and Guido L.B. Wiesenberg, University of Zurich, Switzerland (2017-2020)
    Summary 

  24. Mast seeding patterns in response to climate change. Principal Investigator: Jalene M. LaMontagne, DePaul University, (2017-present). 

See also: Comprehensive Listing of SPRUCE Project Ongoing and Planned Measurements