Belowground regulation of aboveground dynamics: How soil microbes shape species coexistence in plant communities

Soils are teeming with microbial life, which exerts substantial control over plant ecology and evolution. Global environmental change threatens to disrupt these key plant??"microbial interactions, underscoring the importance of understanding the role that microbes play in shaping plant communities. Here, I will share my integrative approach to this problem, which draws on ecological theory, controlled experiments, natural history observations, and microbiome profiling. I will begin with results from my past work synthesizing insights from the fields of plant??"soil feedback and species coexistence theory, which shone a light on the potential for microbes to impact plant coexistence dynamics by generating competitive imbalances among plants. I will then highlight ongoing research projects that focus on the impacts of global change factors such as habitat fragmentation, nutrient enrichment, and drought on the plant??"soil microbe interactions that shape plant communities in tropical forests and temperate grasslands. I will end by sharing my vision to grow a diverse research group that embraces a spirit of unrestrained curiosity and ethical collaboration to study the interplay of abiotic variation and biotic interactions in ecological communities.

Speaker: Gaurav Kandlikar, Louisiana State University