Louise Egerton-Warburton
Chicago Botanic Garden
lwarburton at chicagobotanic dot org
I am a soil ecologist. My research projects focus on examining the ecological links between the above- and below-ground biota, and in particular, the roles of mycorrhizal fungi in ecosystem function.
Most of my research revolves around three themes: documenting the diversity of mycorrhizal communities; developing a mechanistic understanding of how these plant-fungal interactions affect community and ecosystem processes, and examining the consequences of alterations in climate, land-use, and species invasions on this relationship. To address these themes, I use lab and field experiments and a variety of analytical approaches (e.g. stable isotopes, high throughput sequencing, enzyme activity).
Current research projects include:
- Arbuscular mycorrhizal community responses to altered precipitation in a dry seasonal tropical forest.
- Decomposition of fungal necromass and its contribution to soil carbon sequestration.
- Soil health and community restoration: linking above- and below-ground systems.
The concept of restoring or enhancing the quality and health of soil resources has become increasingly popular, but what is soil health and how can it be enhanced? Soil health is the generally defined as the capacity of soil to sustain plant productivity, and maintain or enhance water and air quality. However, translating science into practice can be complicated. Measuring 'soil quality' does...
Arbutus andrachne L. (Greek strawberry tree) is an evergreen shrub or small tree with a circum-Mediterranean distribution from Tunisia to Morocco along the north of Africa, and from Spain to Turkey along southern Europe. However, the more restricted Euro-Siberian populations, such as those in the Republic of Georgia, are considered endangered. Here, Arbutus andrachne...
Urban soils pose a unique challenge for ecosystem restoration: they are highly degraded and lack structure, organic matter, and nutrients, all of which limits plant growth and establishment. While these soil conditions might inhibit initial plant establishment, we lack a clear understanding of how urban soils develop over time, and the consequences for plant growth. In this study, the REU...
Soil dendrochemistry, or the elemental analysis of dated soil samples, has been used to monitor historical changes in soil and atmospheric chemistry, soil development, and land-use history. For restoration ecologists, however, this approach also provides a way to detect the long-term changes in environmental quality since variations in soil chemistry typically coincide with changes in plant...
The Amarylloids are a large and diverse group of perennial plants (59 genera, > 800 species) in the order Asparagales, and are distributed primarily in tropical and subtropical areas. Many species are cultivated as garden ornamentals or pot plants, including the belladonna lily (Amaryllis belladonna), daffodil (Narcissus), zephyr lilies (Zephyrastrum), and ‘...
Daylilies are a widely planted ornamental that frequently escapes garden confines to establish large and lovely populations in natural systems. Once established, daylilies rapidly multiply and spread to form dense patches that readily displace native plants. Many empirical studies show that plant–soil interactions (e.g. allelopathy and plant–microbe feedbacks) might explain the success of non...
The objective of this project is to identify ecologically important symbiotic and saprotrophic fungi from understudied seasonally dry tropical forests in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula using cutting edge tools. The rapid development of fungal ecology as it has entered the molecular age has highlighted many remaining fundamental knowledge gaps, including the huge number of tropical fungi that have...
Students will be comparing samples from buckthorn invaded and restored oak savannas to look at Plant-soil relationships.
The objective of this project is to identify ecologically important symbiotic and saprotrophic fungi from understudied seasonally dry tropical forests in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula using cutting edge tools. The rapid development of fungal ecology as it has entered the molecular age has highlighted many remaining fundamental knowledge gaps, including the huge number of tropical fungi that have...
Natural areas are managed using aboveground methods, but these methods have profound influences on belowground processes. Decomposition is an important process that is driven by soil organisms and determines nutrient availability for next year's plant growth. This project investigates how restoration methods influence decomposition and fungal decomposer communities. Leaf litter bags containing...
Fungi are ubiquitous in soils. However, it remains virtually unknown how dead fungal mass (fungal necromass) is degraded, and what portion of it contributes to the slow turnover of soil organic matter pools. We are interested in determining the rate of fungal necromass breakdown under a variety of scenarios (field experiments, lab experiments, breakdown by microbes, breakdown by macrofauna,...
Natural areas are managed using aboveground methods, but these methods have profound influences on belowground processes. Decomposition is an important process that is driven by soil organisms and determines nutrient availability for next year's plant growth. This project investigates how restoration methods influence decomposition and fungal decomposer communities. Leaf litter bags containing...
In this project, an REU intern will have the opportunity to explore the community ecology of mycorrhizae (plant-fungal symbioses) in the seasonally dry tropical forests of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The laboratory component of this project will provide experience identifying fungal spores using microscopy, as well as identifying plants and fungi using the direct sequencing of DNA "barcode...
The Chicago Wilderness Society is working a new project called "100 Sites for 100 Years" to record changes across natural areas in the Chicago Region. One aspect of habitat quality we are interested is changes in soil characteristics associated with management. Soil samples have been collected from 15 prairies around the Chicagoland...
Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) is an invasive species which crowds out wildflowers in the forests of the Midwest. There are many different management techniques have been employed to control the plant, however re-invasion is a big issue. Some observation have shown that mulching can provide some resistance to r-einvasion, including using buckthorn chips - which are thought to be allopathic. In...
Invasive species are a persistant focus of restoration and management of natural areas. European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) is an exotic shrub that has recently become the most prevalent woody species in the Chicago region. Previous research suggests that there are modified soil nutrients and organisms may drive plant invasion inhibit successful restoration of native plant communities....
Isolation and characterization of recalcitrant materials from Aspergillus using FTIR
Isolation and identification of recalcitrant mterials in Rhizopus as potential sources of sequestered soil carbon
Plant root architecture and the effectiveness of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in controlling plant pathogens
An investigation of mycorrhizal fungal establishment in Andropogon gerardii in the tallgrass prairie
Divergent soil microbial community responses to restoration practices after invasive plant removal
Field of dreams: could a corn crop enhance the recovery of the soil biota during restoration?
Effects of Simulated Nitrogen Deposition on Nitrogen Loading and Acer saccharum Seedling Biomass
Soil Feedbacks during Prairie Restoration
Carbon Addition and Its Effects on Soil Nitrogen and Prairie Development
Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community Change over a Nitrogen Deposition Gradient in Oak Woodlands