Research Areas: Biogeochemistry
Biogeochemistry is a truly transdisciplinary field that bridges Life Sciences, Geosciences and Geochemistry. Biogeochemistry encompasses the study of fluxes of elements and energy in terrestrial (e.g., forests, riparian systems, desert soils and crusts) and aquatic (such as hot springs, lakes, rivers, oceans) ecosystems, as well as the roles, adaptations, interactions and evolution of organisms in these environments. Biogeochemists work on processes that span across wide temporal (from geologic to present) and spatial (from micro to global) scales. Biogeochemists in the School of Life Sciences work in close collaboration with Biogeochemists in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and Department of Chemistry/Biochemistry to study microorganisms that modify rocks and minerals (Geomicrobiology); life in extreme environments, including those that bear resemblance with possible habitats on other planets (Astrobiology); the role of microorganisms in the flux of matter and energy in the ocean (Biological Oceanography), the balance of energy and multiple chemical elements in living systems (Ecological Stoichiometry), the role of biota in the flux of elements in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Ecosystem Ecology), the role of hydrology and spatial heterogeneity in biogeochemical dynamics of desert landscapes (Ecohydrology), as well as the influence of urbanization on elemental cycles in the desert (Urban Ecology).
Several research centers are associated with this research area are GIOS (Global Institute of Sustainability), CAP LTER in Urban Ecology and the Keck Foundation Laboratory for Environmental Biogeochemistry.
Students working with faculty members in the School of Life Sciences with research in Biogeochemistry may obtain their degree in the Biology, Microbiology, or Environmental Life Sciences programs.
SOLS Faculty:
- James Elser (Limnology, Ecological Stoichiometry)
- Stuart Fisher (Stream Ecology, Limnology)
- Ferran Garcia-Pichel (Microbial Ecology, Geomicrobiology)
- Nancy Grimm (Urban Ecology, Stream and Riparian Ecosystems, Ecohydrology)
- Sharon Hall (Ecosystem ecology and biosphere-atmosphere interactions)
- Jeffrey Klopatek (Ecosystem and Landscape Ecology)
- Susanne Neuer (Ocean Biogeochemistry, Biological Oceanography, Astrobiology)
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