Sarah Evans

We ask questions about what factors alter microbial community diversity, how microbes respond to disturbances and stress, and how microbial communities influence ecosystem functions, like nutrient cycling, and the health of plants and other macroorganisms. Rainfall is expected to change in Michigan. We are interested in how rainfall affects microbes and their functions beyond simply osmotic stress. This includes rainfall's affect on the movement of microbes through the soil profile, and changes in biotic interactions. We are also interested in how microbes associated with plants can increase their nutrient and water use efficiency in highly degraded agricultural lands.