Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Forestry has a critical role in Canada's economic prosperity with nearly half Canada's landmass being forested and 10% of the world's forests being within Canada. In British Columbia forestry is the key industry with 56% of BC being forested. In addition, forests are vital for moderating climate and filtering air and water and as places of recreation. There is increasing emphasis on sustainable forest management, balancing resource extraction with retention of ecosystem services and biodiversity. In order to provide a basis for rational decisions forest managers must have sufficient knowledge about how forests function and how their management affects that functioning. Nutrient cycling and uptake have been shown to be critical processes for the health of forest ecosystems. The soil microbial community has a key role in nutrient cycling processes in soil through decomposition of soil organic matter and turnover of inorganic nutrients and minerals and, therefore, forest productivity. Despite the recognised importance of the soil microbial community in nutrient acquisition for trees we know very little about the diversity of microorganisms in soil, what their functional roles are and what factors influence the size, the structure and the activity of the microbial community. Developing management strategies for these systems requires an understanding of the processes regulating soil nutrient cycling and the impact of various management practices on these processes. This research program uses a variety of novel molecular and biochemical methods coupled with stable isotope labeling approaches to identify the important micro-organisms, elucidate their role in soil processes such as nutrient cycling and the storage or release of carbon, and clarify the manner in which they interact with plant roots. This will result in a better understanding of ecosystem functioning.