Scientific research with Fungi on fire-impacted soils

We study Post-Fire Microbial Inoculation (PFMI), the process of adding beneficial microbes to soils post-fire, in burn scars within coniferous forests, grasslands, shrublands, and oak woodlands of CA and OR

Geopyxis carbonaria

Project Goals

1. Restore soil microbial richness and diversity

2. Sequester carbon (C)

3. Stabilize and detoxify soils

Sydney Mongiello

Research Questions

1. Does inoculation affect microbial community resilience and ecosystem recovery post fire?

2. Do the effects of inoculation differ based upon sources or complexity of inocula?

3. Are the effects of inoculation consistent across a latitudinal gradient, or do they differ predictably by climate or other environmental factors?