Our research examines how soil organisms interact with their environment to regulate ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling, organic matter turnover, trace gas emissions, and productivity. This research encompasses multiple spatial scales and lies at the interface of soil ecology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem science. While we use a range of fundamental laboratory methods, which include molecular chemical and microbiological approaches, we always have an eye towards applying our results to improve ecosystem processes and management.
Much of our current work focuses in some capacity on the feedbacks between plants, organic matter dynamics, and soil biological communities. We are particularly interested in examining the main pathways in which decomposer communities influence soil organic matter formation. We also have several projects examining the drivers of N cycling and availability in agricultural soils, and are specifically interested in finding ways that we can improve the synchrony between soil N availability and crop N requirements. Our research spans sites in the Northeast, Midwest, and West and includes different agriculture, forest, and mountain ecosystems.
Courses Taught
- NR 400: Professional Perspective NR
- NR 561: Chemistry of the Environment
- NR 761/861: Environmental Soil Chemistry
- NR 903: Approach to Research
- NR 993: Sem/ExplArtificialIntelligence
Selected Publications
Sanderman, J., & Grandy, A. S. (2020). Ramped thermal analysis for isolating biologically meaningful soil organic matter fractions with distinct residence times. SOIL, 6(1), 131-144. doi:10.5194/soil-6-131-2020
Bowles, T. M., Mooshammer, M., Socolar, Y., Calderon, F., Cavigelli, M. A., Culman, S. W., . . . Grandy, A. S. (2020). Long-Term Evidence Shows that Crop-Rotation Diversification Increases Agricultural Resilience to Adverse Growing Conditions in North America. ONE EARTH, 2(3), 284-293. doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2020.02.007
Jilling, A., Kane, D., Williams, A., Yannarell, A. C., Davis, A., Jordan, N. R., . . . Grandy, A. S. (2020). Rapid and distinct responses of particulate and mineral-associated organic nitrogen to conservation tillage and cover crops. GEODERMA, 359. doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.114001
Cates, A. M., Ruark, M. D., Grandy, A. S., & Jackson, R. D. (2019). Small soil C cycle responses to three years of cover crops in maize cropping systems. AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT, 286. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2019.106649
Argiroff, W. A., Zak, D. R., Upchurch, R. A., Salley, S. O., & Grandy, A. S. (2019). Anthropogenic N deposition alters soil organic matter biochemistry and microbial communities on decaying fine roots. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, 25(12), 4369-4382. doi:10.1111/gcb.14770
Kallenbach, C. M., Frey, S. D., & Grandy, A. S. (2016). Direct evidence for microbial-derived soil organic matter formation and its ecophysiological controls. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 7. doi:10.1038/ncomms13630
McDaniel, M. D., Tiemann, L. K., & Grandy, A. S. (2014). Does agricultural crop diversity enhance soil microbial biomass and organic matter dynamics? A meta-analysis. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS, 24(3), 560-570. doi:10.1890/13-0616.1
Culman, S. W., Snapp, S. S., Freeman, M. A., Schipanski, M. E., Beniston, J., Lal, R., . . . Wander, M. M. (2012). Permanganate Oxidizable Carbon Reflects a Processed Soil Fraction that is Sensitive to Management. SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA JOURNAL, 76(2), 494-504. doi:10.2136/sssaj2011.0286
German, D. P., Weintraub, M. N., Grandy, A. S., Lauber, C. L., Rinkes, Z. L., & Allison, S. D. (2011). Optimization of hydrolytic and oxidative enzyme methods for ecosystem studies. SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY, 43(7), 1387-1397. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.03.017
Grandy, A. S., & Robertson, G. P. (2007). Land-use intensity effects on soil organic carbon accumulation rates and mechanisms. ECOSYSTEMS, 10(1), 58-73. doi:10.1007/s10021-006-9010-y
