Start Date
25-10-2021 3:45 PM
End Date
25-10-2021 5:00 PM
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Ecosystem and plant ecologists understand that herbivory can have a profound influence on primary production and plant community structure. This can be seen in mass outbreaks of insect herbivores or the grazing activity of ungulate herds. Likewise, the same ecologists understand that plants interact closely in a bidirectional relationship with soil organisms and the ecosystem properties they moderate. Therefore, logically we hypothesize that herbivory will have either a direct effect on soil communities and their functioning, or at minimum, an indirect effect on the soils via the plants they support. My sabbatical research included participation in multiple programs studying the effects of herbivory on soils in major manipulative herbivory experiments. The outcomes of these projects with respect to direct and indirect effects of herbivore grazing show almost no consistent effect on soil communities or their functioning. This paradox has led to an extensive collaboration of researchers and a recently funded NSF grant to consolidate data and resolve the mechanisms that seem intractable within individual studies.
Biography
Dr. Krumins manages two major research agendas. The first, and the topic of her recent sabbatical, studies the effects of herbivory and changing land use on soil community composition and functioning. In her second research agenda, she studies the role of soil communities on the health of urban and post-industrial soils. Her work has both fundamental and applied value as it helps ecologists and practitioners to understand ecosystem health in the face of anthropogenic influence.
Additional Links
ORCID
Mega-Herbivores, Plants and Soils
Ecosystem and plant ecologists understand that herbivory can have a profound influence on primary production and plant community structure. This can be seen in mass outbreaks of insect herbivores or the grazing activity of ungulate herds. Likewise, the same ecologists understand that plants interact closely in a bidirectional relationship with soil organisms and the ecosystem properties they moderate. Therefore, logically we hypothesize that herbivory will have either a direct effect on soil communities and their functioning, or at minimum, an indirect effect on the soils via the plants they support. My sabbatical research included participation in multiple programs studying the effects of herbivory on soils in major manipulative herbivory experiments. The outcomes of these projects with respect to direct and indirect effects of herbivore grazing show almost no consistent effect on soil communities or their functioning. This paradox has led to an extensive collaboration of researchers and a recently funded NSF grant to consolidate data and resolve the mechanisms that seem intractable within individual studies.