Sorghum is an important biofuel species, with high potential in more drought-prone and low fertility marginal lands. It has been long recognized to form beneficial relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, but the degree of beneficial outcomes varies greatly…

Biotic interactions could play a large role in mediating species range shifts in response to climate change, yet their importance is often overlooked. For sessile organisms like plants, interactions with soil microbes and new competitors are likely important…

In collaboration with Dr. Alex Strauss and Dr. Rebecca Abney, we are representing Georgia as a member of a globally-replicated experiment that seeks to understand the…

Frequent fires are an integral component of the imperiled longleaf pine savannas that historically ranged throughout the gulf coast states. Our lab is investigating how prescribed fires alter soil bacterial, fungal, and faunal communities. At the Jones Center at…

In a sagebrush steppe community in SE Idaho, long term data and modeling have shown that coexistence among the four dominant plant species is stable, and maintained by strong stabilizing niche differences. In addition, these niche differences occur early in the plant…

Anny's dissertation research focused on how plant-soil microbial feedbacks drive long term coexistence dynamics between two desert grass species.

Plants are known to cultivate species-specific rhizosphere microbial communities which then feedback to…

Biological soil crusts (biocrust)  are communities of lichen, moss, and cyanobacteria that produce polysaccharides which aggregate particles and form a living cover on top of dryland soils. They contribute to nitrogen and hydrological cycles and prevent erosion,…