Soil food web regulation of plant growth and resistance to climate extremes in agricultural grasslands.
Supervisors:
Richard Bardgett, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
Mark Emmerson, School Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast
Project Summary:
This studentship will investigate how changes in the structure and diversity of complex soil food webs influence soil functioning, plant growth and plant resilience to climate extremes, with a particular focus on drought in agricultural grasslands. It will test whether regenerative farming practices enhance soil functioning and plant resilience to climate change by increasing the diversity, complexity and stability of soil food webs. The research will combine controlled environment and field experiments using soils from the long-term Colt Park grassland experiment in the Yorkshire Dales. State-of-the-art genomic, biogeochemical and energetic food-web modelling approaches will be integrated to quantify changes in soil communities, nutrient flows, soil functions and plant trait responses to drought, above and below-ground. The research will ultimately establish whether a food web-based approach can inform agricultural management and support resilient, sustainable grassland production.
The student will develop interdisciplinary expertise in soil ecology, ecological food-web theory, regenerative agriculture and plant-soil interactions. They will gain practical experience in designing and conducting controlled-environment and field experiments, including drought manipulation and assessment of soil and plant responses. Training will include advanced genomic and molecular techniques for characterising soil communities, biogeochemical methods for measuring nutrient transfers to plants, and quantitative modelling of complex ecological systems, including food web and stability analyses. The student will also develop skills in statistical analysis, experimental design, data interpretation, scientific communication and translating findings into evidence-based agricultural management recommendations.