Lead PI: Ashley Keiser, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Co-PIs and Collaborator:
Kristen DeAngelis, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Debjani Sihi, NC State University
Benjamin Sulman, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Brief description of the project: This DOE-funded (Environmental System Science Program) project investigates how non-native pest infestation (hemlock woolly adelgid, HWA) alters belowground rhizosphere dynamics in eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) forests, with consequences for ecosystem carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. Using eastern hemlock as a model species, the research explores how HWA impacts root exudation, microbial community structure, and soil organic matter pools across soil physicochemical gradients.
The study integrates field surveys across infected and uninfected stands at long-term ecological research (LTER) sites with laboratory microcosm experiments and stable isotope tracing to assess root exudate-driven microbial and biogeochemical changes. The work focuses on how infection severity and soil type interact to shape rhizosphere feedbacks that mediate C and N fluxes. Results from empirical work will be scaled using coupled biogeochemical ecosystem models (FUN-CORPSE and myco-CORPSE) developed and refined by the project team. These models integrate plant N uptake, rhizosphere C allocation, and microbial functional group dynamics to simulate ecosystem-level responses to invasive pests and climate variability. By combining in situ observations, mechanistic experiments, and modeling, this project will improve predictive capacity for how forest ecosystems respond to biological stress and environmental change, contributing to DOE’s mission to understand terrestrial ecosystem resilience.
Follow these links below to learn more about this project: (https://www.umass.edu/news/article/umass-amherst-scientists-explore-role-soil-and-its-microbes-play-helping-hemlocks) (https://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/WebPAMSExternal/Interface/Common/ViewPublicAbstract.aspx?rv=6c0ca414-e552-498f-978d-9fe6ae057498&rtc=24&PRoleId=10)