Systems ecology

Photo of Jana M U'Ren

Jana M U'Ren

Assistant Professor, Ecosystem Genomics
Assistant Professor, Agricultural-Biosystems Engineering
Assistant Professor, Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Assistant Professor, Genetics - GIDP
Assistant Professor, BIO5 Institute
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Primary Department
Biosystems Engineering
Department Affiliations
Biosystems Engineering
BIO5 Institute
Contact
(520) 621-1607
juren@arizona.edu

Work Summary

We study the biodiversity, biogeography, evolutionary origins, and ecological roles of plant-associated microorganisms. We use a combination of traditional culture-based microbiology, functional assays, and next-generation 'omics tools to study microbial symbiont communities in diverse lineages of land plants at scales ranging from local to global. We are interested in characterizing the biotic and abiotic factors shaping the assembly of plant-associated fungal communities, how community structure and diversity impacts ecosystem function, and the evolutionary dynamics of fungal symbiont evolution in the context of closely related pathogens and saprotrophs.

Research Interest

I am an integrative microbial ecologist with training in microbial ecology, evolutionary biology, mycology, and genomics. I am an Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Genomics in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and the BIO5 Institute. I completed a BA in Biological Sciences from the University of Missouri-Columbia and my PhD in Plant Pathology from University of Arizona’s School of Plant Sciences. Keywords: plant-microbe interactions, comparative genomics, microbial ecology, fungal endophytes

Photo of Laura Meredith

Laura Meredith

Assistant Professor, Ecosystem Genomics
Director, Biosphere 2 - Tropical Rain Forest
Assistant Professor, Genetics - GIDP
Assistant Professor, Global Change - GIDP
Assistant Professor, Hydrology / Atmospheric Sciences
Assistant Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
School of Natural Resources and the Environment
Department Affiliations
School of Natural Resources and the Environment
BIO5 Institute
Contact
520 6264213
laurameredith@arizona.edu

Work Summary

We aim to constrain the microbial drivers of soil-atmosphere trace gas fluxes across a range of scales. We constrain the genetic traits for trace gas metabolism and develop new tools for measuring genes and gases in heterogenous soil systems. New understanding is evaluated across a range of model to natural ecosystems where microbial trace gas cycling occurs in the context of environmental forcings and interactions. Lab website: www.laurameredith.com

Research Interest

Our research is focused on microbe-mediated trace gas fluxes between the soil and atmosphere, their genomic basis, and methods to link gene to ecosystem function in the face of soil complexity and wide-ranging scales. Keywords: Soil Microbial Function, CO2, CH4, N2O, OCS, VOCs

Photo of Albert Barberan

Albert Barberan

Associate Professor, Earth Microbiome
Assistant Professor, Natural Resources and the Environment
Assistant Professor, BIO5 Institute
Member of the General Faculty
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Primary Department
Soil Water Enviro Sci-Res
Department Affiliations
Soil Water Enviro Sci-Res
BIO5 Institute
Contact
(520) 621-1646
barberan@arizona.edu

Research Interest

A more complete understanding of microbial processes and patterns is essential in order to understand the relationships among ecosystem functions, global change, and management of natural and working landscapes. Our research focuses on bridging the gap between the disciplines of general ecology and microbial ecology by analyzing large and complex molecular datasets.

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