NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biology combine research and training components to prepare young scientists for careers in emerging areas where biology intersects with other scientific disciplines, in this case with mathematics and physical sciences. The Fellows are expected to be leaders of the nation's scientific workforce of the future. This fellowship to Tanya Cheeke supports a research and training plan that integrates microbial ecology and bioinformatics to characterize the role of soil microbes in the success or failure of native plant establishment in disturbed ecosystems. Understanding the fundamental differences in soil microbial communities in disturbed ecosystems is vitally important for informing restoration efforts, especially in areas such as prairies where plant-soil feedbacks have altered the native soil microbial community. The host institution for this fellowship is Indiana University and the sponsoring scientists are James Bever (Department of Biology) and Yuzhen Ye (School of Informatics and Computing). The fellowship provides for a unique collaboration to provide interdisciplinary research training for the Fellow. Educational outreach is directed to a diverse group of undergraduate students who will gain practical research skills in molecular biology and restoration ecology.
This study tests novel methods of improving native plant establishment in disturbed ecosystems and has broad applications in conservation biology and restoration ecology. Specifically, the research evaluates the efficacy of re-introducing native soil organisms, for example, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, to improve native prairie plant establishment in tall fescue dominated grasslands. The overall goal is to understand the mechanisms that drive monotypic dominance in disturbed landscapes and to evaluate the role of plant-soil feedbacks in improving, maintaining, or limiting plant community diversity in disturbed systems. Research results are being shared with key stakeholders, including farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and policy makers through public lectures and by providing a research summary to local extension agents upon completion of the project.
