research overview
- Steven K. Schmidt is a professor of microbial ecology with a special interest in life in high elevation ecosystems throughout the world.
- Contact Info
Schmidt, Steve Professor
Positions
- Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Chair, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Research Areas
Research
keywords
- extremophiles, high-mountain ecology, microbial ecology, environmental microbiology, Astrobiology, global change science
Publications
selected publications
-
chapter
- PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS AND SOIL MICROBIAL BIOMASS. 63-86. 2009
- THE MISSING FUNGI: NEW INSIGHTS FROM CULTURE-INDEPENDENT MOLECULAR STUDIES OF SOIL. 55-66. 2008
- Use of bioreactors and microcosms to assess the biodegradation potential of soils 2007
- Kinetics of microbial processes and population growth in soil 2002
- Microbial competition and bioavailability limit the expression of allelochemicals in natural soils 1999
- Snowpack controls on soil nitrogen dynamics in the Colorado alpine. Iahs Publication. 283-292. 1995
- The Niwot Ridge snow fence experiment: Biogeochemical responses to changes in the seasonal snowpack. Iahs Publication. 293-302. 1995
- Models for studying the population ecology of microorganisms in natural systems 1992
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conference proceeding
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journal article
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Life at extreme elevations on Atacama volcanoes: the closest thing to Mars on Earth?.
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.
1389-1401.
2018
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Microbial Communities of High-Elevation Fumaroles, Penitentes, and Dry Tephra "Soils" of the Puna de Atacama Volcanic Zone.
Microbial Ecology.
340-351.
2018
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Phosphorus, not nitrogen, limits plants and microbial primary producers following glacial retreat.
Science Advances.
2018
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Spatio-temporal dynamics of soil bacterial communities as a function of Amazon forest phenology.
Scientific Reports.
2018
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Of mammals and bacteria in a rainforest: Temporal dynamics of soil bacteria in response to simulated N pulse from mammalian urine.
Functional Ecology.
773-784.
2018
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Interspecific Plant Interactions Reflected in Soil Bacterial Community Structure and Nitrogen Cycling in Primary Succession.
Frontiers in Microbiology.
2018
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Diversity patterns of microbial eukaryotes mirror those of bacteria in Antarctic cryoconite holes.
FEMS Microbiology Ecology.
2018
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Nutrient limitation of soil microbial activity during the earliest stages of ecosystem development.
Oecologia.
513-524.
2017
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Rapid Shifts in Soil Nutrients and Decomposition Enzyme Activity in Early Succession Following Forest Fire.
Forests.
2017
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Plant colonization of moss-dominated soils in the alpine: Microbial and biogeochemical implications.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
135-142.
2017
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Spatial autocorrelation of microbial communities atop a debris-covered glacier is evidence of a supraglacial chronosequence.
FEMS Microbiology Ecology.
2017
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Freeze-thaw revival of rotifers and algae in a desiccated, high-elevation (5500 meters) microbial mat, high Andes, Peru.
Extremophiles.
573-580.
2017
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A Naganishia in high places: functioning populations or dormant cells from the atmosphere?.
Mycology.
153-163.
2017
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Biogeochemical Stoichiometry Reveals P and N Limitation Across the Post-glacial Landscape of Denali National Park, Alaska.
Ecosystems.
1164-1177.
2016
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Biogeochemical drivers of microbial community convergence across actively retreating glaciers.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
74-84.
2016
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Incorporating biotic factors in species distribution modeling: are interactions with soil microbes important?.
Ecography.
970-980.
2016
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Growth of high-elevation Cryptococcus sp during extreme freeze-thaw cycles.
Extremophiles.
579-588.
2016
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Decreases in average bacterial community rRNA operon copy number during succession.
ISME Journal.
1147-1156.
2016
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Nutrient limitation of microbial phototrophs on a debris-covered glacier.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
156-163.
2016
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Plant-microbe interactions at multiple scales across a high-elevation landscape.
Plant Ecology and Diversity.
703-712.
2015
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Winter gas exchange between the atmosphere and snow-covered soils on Niwot Ridge, Colorado, USA.
Plant Ecology and Diversity.
677-688.
2015
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Fire severity shapes plant colonization effects on bacterial community structure, microbial biomass, and soil enzyme activity in secondary succession of a burned forest.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
161-168.
2015
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Phylogeny of ulotrichalean algae from extreme high-altitude and high-latitude ecosystems.
Polar Biology.
689-697.
2015
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Metagenomic evidence for metabolism of trace atmospheric gases by high-elevation desert Actinobacteria.
Frontiers in Microbiology.
2014
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Nutrient Addition Dramatically Accelerates Microbial Community Succession.
PLoS ONE.
2014
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Do bacterial and fungal communities assemble differently during primary succession?.
Molecular Ecology.
254-258.
2014
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Phylogeny and biogeography of an uncultured clade of snow chytrids.
Environmental Microbiology.
2672-2680.
2013
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Patterns and Processes of Microbial Community Assembly.
Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews.
342-356.
2013
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Cooccurrence patterns of plants and soil bacteria in the high-alpine subnival zone track environmental harshness (vol 3, pg 347, 2012).
Frontiers in Microbiology.
2013
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Changes in assembly processes in soil bacterial communities following a wildfire disturbance.
ISME Journal.
1102-1111.
2013
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A simple method for determining limiting nutrients for photosynthetic crusts.
Plant Ecology and Diversity.
513-519.
2012
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Fungal communities at the edge: Ecological lessons from high alpine fungi.
Fungal Ecology.
443-452.
2012
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The potential for microbial life in the highest-elevation (> 6000 m.a.s.l.) mineral soils of the Atacama region.
Journal of Geophysical Research.
2012
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Quantitative methods for the analysis of zoosporic fungi.
Journal of Microbiological Methods.
22-32.
2012
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Atmospheric deposition as a source of carbon and nutrients to an alpine catchment of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Biogeosciences.
3337-3355.
2012
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Co-occurrence patterns of plants and soil bacteria in the high-alpine subnival zone track environmental harshness.
Frontiers in Microbiology.
2012
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Global Distribution of Polaromonas Phylotypes - Evidence for a Highly Successful Dispersal Capacity.
PLoS ONE.
2011
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Estimating phosphorus availability for microbial growth in an emerging landscape.
Geoderma.
135-140.
2011
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Soil rotifer communities are extremely diverse globally but spatially autocorrelated locally.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
4406-4410.
2011
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Phylogeography of microbial phototrophs in the dry valleys of the high Himalayas and Antarctica.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
702-708.
2011
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Global patterns in the biogeography of bacterial taxa.
Environmental Microbiology.
135-144.
2011
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Can zoosporic true fungi grow or survive in extreme or stressful environments?.
Extremophiles.
417-425.
2010
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Biogeography and habitat modelling of high-alpine bacteria.
Nature Communications.
2010
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Functional Shifts in Unvegetated, Perhumid, Recently-Deglaciated Soils Do Not Correlate with Shifts in Soil Bacterial Community Composition.
Journal of Microbiology.
673-681.
2009
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Evidence that chytrids dominate fungal communities in high-elevation soils.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
18315-18320.
2009
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Microbial activity and diversity during extreme freeze-thaw cycles in periglacial soils, 5400 m elevation, Cordillera Vilcanota, PerA(0).
Extremophiles.
807-816.
2009
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Exponential growth of "snow molds" at sub-zero temperatures: an explanation for high beneath-snow respiration rates and Q (10) values.
Biogeochemistry.
13-21.
2009
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The trade-off between growth rate and yield in microbial communities and the consequences for under-snow soil respiration in a high elevation coniferous forest.
Biogeochemistry.
23-35.
2009
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Soil CO2 flux and photoautotrophic community composition in high-elevation, 'barren' soil.
Environmental Microbiology.
674-686.
2009
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Fumarole-Supported Islands of Biodiversity within a Hyperarid, High-Elevation Landscape on Socompa Volcano, Puna de Atacama, Andes.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
735-747.
2009
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Environmental DNA sequencing primers for eutardigrades and bdelloid rotifers..
BMC Ecology.
25.
2009
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The earliest stages of ecosystem succession in high-elevation (5000 metres above sea level), recently deglaciated soils.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
2793-2802.
2008
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Phylogeny and Ecophysiology of Opportunistic "Snow Molds" from a Subalpine Forest Ecosystem.
Microbial Ecology.
681-687.
2008
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The effects of chronic nitrogen fertilization on alpine tundra soil microbial communities: implications for carbon and nitrogen cycling.
Environmental Microbiology.
3093-3105.
2008
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High levels of microbial biomass and activity in unvegetated tropical and temperate alpine soils.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
2605-2610.
2008
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Mycorrhizal and dark-septate fungi in plant roots above 4270 meters elevation in the Andes and Rocky Mountains.
Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research.
576-583.
2008
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Insights and inferences about integron evolution from genomic data.
BMC Genomics.
2008
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Widespread occurrence and phylogenetic placement of a soil clone group adds a prominent new branch to the fungal tree of life.
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
635-644.
2008
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The effects of tree rhizodeposition on soil exoenzyme activity, dissolved organic carbon, and nutrient availability in a subalpine forest ecosystem.
Oecologia.
327-338.
2007
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Biogeochemical consequences of rapid microbial turnover and seasonal succession in soil.
Ecology.
1379-1385.
2007
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Increases in soil respiration following labile carbon additions linked to rapid shifts in soil microbial community composition.
Biogeochemistry.
229-240.
2007
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Microbial community succession in an unvegetated, recently deglaciated soil.
Microbial Ecology.
110-122.
2007
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Biogeography and landscape-scale diversity of the dominant crenarchaeota of soil.
Microbial Ecology.
480-490.
2006
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Microbial diversity in alpine tundra wet meadow soil: novel Chloroflexi from a cold, water-saturated environment.
Environmental Microbiology.
1471-1486.
2006
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Winter forest soil respiration controlled by climate and microbial community composition.
Nature: New biology.
711-714.
2006
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A temporal approach to linking aboveground and belowground ecology.
Trends in Ecology and Evolution.
634-641.
2005
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Recovery of microbially mediated processes in soil augmented with a pentachlorophenol-mineralizing bacterium.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
1912-1917.
2005
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Structure and function of alpine and arctic soil microbial communities.
Research in Microbiology.
775-784.
2005
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Soil microbial dynamics in Costa Rica: Seasonal and biogeochemical constraints.
Biotropica.
184-195.
2004
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Impacts of chronic nitrogen additions vary seasonally and by microbial functional group in tundra soils.
Biogeochemistry.
1-17.
2004
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Seasonal changes in an alpine soil bacterial community in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
2867-2879.
2004
- The rate and pattern of cladogenesis in microbes. Evolution. 946-955. 2004
- Microbial population dynamics in an extreme environment: controlling factors in talus soils at 3750 m in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Biogeochemistry. 313-335. 2004
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Integron diversity in heavy-metal-contaminated mine tailings and inferences about integron evolution.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
1160-1168.
2004
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Microbial growth under the snow: Implications for nutrient and allelochemical availability in temperate soils.
Plant and Soil.
1-7.
2004
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Molecular and metabolic characterization of cold-tolerant alpine soil Pseudomonas sensu stricto.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
483-489.
2004
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Seasonal dynamics of previously unknown fungal lineages in tundra soils.
Science.
1359-1361.
2003
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Soil microbial dynamics and biogeochemistry in tropical forests and pastures, southwestern Costa Rica.
Ecological Applications.
314-326.
2003
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Disruption of narH, narJ, and moaE inhibits heterotrophic nitrification in Pseudomonas strain M19.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
6462-6465.
2002
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Phosphorus limitation of microbial processes in moist tropical forests: Evidence from short-term laboratory incubations and field studies.
Ecosystems.
680-691.
2002
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Fungal and bacterial responses to phenolic compounds and amino acids in high altitude barren soils.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
989-995.
2002
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Endogenous methanogenesis stimulates oxidation of atmospheric CH4 in alpine tundra soil.
Microbial Ecology.
408-415.
2002
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Changes in soil microbial community structure and function in an alpine dry meadow following spring snow melt.
Microbial Ecology.
307-314.
2002
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Soil ecological interactions: comparisons between tropical and subalpine forests.
Oecologia.
549-556.
2001
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Isolation and phylogenetic identification of a dark-septate fungus associated with the alpine plant Ranunculus adoneus.
New Phytologist.
747-755.
2001
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An empirical model of amino acid transformations in an alpine soil.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
189-198.
2001
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Microbial biomass levels in barren and vegetated high altitude talus soils.
Soil Science Society of America Journal.
111-117.
2001
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Effects of willows (Salix brachycarpa) on populations of Salicylate-mineralizing microorganisms in alpine soils.
Journal of Chemical Ecology.
2049-2057.
2000
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Carbon availability and temperature control the post-snowmelt decline in alpine soil microbial biomass.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
441-448.
2000
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Acetate stimulates atmospheric CH4 oxidation by an alpine tundra soil.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
1649-1655.
1999
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Colonization of contaminated soil by an introduced bacterium: effects of initial pentachlorophenol levels on the survival of Sphingomonas chlorophenolica strain RA2.
Journal of industrial microbiology.
326-331.
1999
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Colonization of contaminated soil by an introduced bacterium: effects of initial pentachlorophenol levels on the survival of Sphingomonas chlorophenolica strain RA2..
Journal of industrial microbiology.
326-331.
1999
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Seasonal partitioning of nitrogen by plants and soil microorganisms in an alpine ecosystem.
Ecology.
1883-1891.
1999
- Links between microbial population dynamics and nitrogen availability in an alpine ecosystem. Ecology. 1623-1631. 1999
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Variation in competitive abilities of plants and microbes for specific amino acids.
Biology and Fertility of Soils.
257-261.
1999
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Landscape patterns of CH4 fluxes in an alpine tundra ecosystem.
Biogeochemistry.
243-264.
1999
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Ectomycorrhizal transfer of amino acid-nitrogen to the alpine sedge Kobresia myosuroides.
New Phytologist.
163-167.
1999
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Methane flux in subalpine wetland and unsaturated soils in the southern Rocky Mountains.
Global Biogeochemical Cycles.
101-113.
1999
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Inorganic nitrogen and microbial biomass dynamics before and during spring snowmelt.
Biogeochemistry.
1-15.
1998
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Topographic patterns of above- and belowground production and nitrogen cycling in Alpine tundra.
Ecology.
2253-2266.
1998
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Nitrogen uptake during snowmelt by the snow buttercup, Ranunculus adoneus.
Arctic and Alpine Research.
121-125.
1998
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Wetting stimulates atmospheric CH4 oxidation by alpine soil.
FEMS Microbiology Ecology.
349-353.
1998
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Winter production of CO2 and N2O from Alpine tundra: Environmental controls and relationship to inter-system C and N fluxes.
Oecologia.
403-413.
1997
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Estimating the biomass of microbial functional groups using rates of growth-related soil respiration.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
1569-1577.
1996
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Maintenance energy model for microbial degradation of toxic chemicals in soil.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
1729-1737.
1996
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Symbiotic N-2-fixation in alpine tundra: Ecosystem input and variation in fixation rates among communities.
Oecologia.
345-350.
1996
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Maintenance energy model for microbial degradation of toxic chemicals in soil.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
907-915.
1996
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Microbial responses to nitrogen additions in alpine tundra soil.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
751-755.
1996
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Base and sugar requirements for RNA cleavage of essential nucleoside residues in internal loop B of the hairpin ribozyme: Implications for secondary structure.
Nucleic Acids Research.
573-581.
1996
- Microbial activity under alpine snowpacks, Niwot Ridge, Colorado. Biogeochemistry. 93-113. 1996
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A SIMPLE METHOD FOR QUANTIFYING ACTIVITY AND SURVIVAL OF MICROORGANISMS INVOLVED IN BIOREMEDIATION PROCESSES.
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology.
259-270.
1995
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NITROGEN MINERALIZATION AND MICROBIAL BIOMASS NITROGEN DYNAMICS IN 3 ALPINE TUNDRA COMMUNITIES.
Soil Science Society of America Journal.
1036-1043.
1995
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USE OF A PENTACHLOROPHENOL DEGRADING BACTERIUM TO BIOREMEDIATE HIGHLY CONTAMINATED SOIL.
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology.
271-275.
1995
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IMPROVED PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING STATISTICALLY VALID PARAMETER ESTIMATES FROM SOIL RESPIRATION DATA.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
1-7.
1995
- FLUXES OF NITROUS-OXIDE AND METHANE FROM NITROGEN-AMENDED SOILS IN A COLORADO ALPINE ECOSYSTEM. Biogeochemistry. 23-33. 1994
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MYCORRHIZAL INFECTION, PHOSPHORUS UPTAKE, AND PHENOLOGY IN RANUNCULUS-ADONEUS - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUNCTIONING OF MYCORRHIZAE IN ALPINE SYSTEMS.
Oecologia.
229-234.
1993
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EFFECT OF GLUCOSE ON 2,4-DINITROPHENOL DEGRADATION KINETICS IN SEQUENCING BATCH REACTORS.
Water Environment Research.
73-81.
1993
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A SUBSTRATE-INDUCED GROWTH-RESPONSE METHOD FOR ESTIMATING THE BIOMASS OF MICROBIAL FUNCTIONAL-GROUPS IN SOIL AND AQUATIC SYSTEMS.
FEMS Microbiology Ecology.
197-206.
1992
- CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL PSEUDOMONAS SP THAT MINERALIZES HIGH-CONCENTRATIONS OF PENTACHLOROPHENOL. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2879-2885. 1992
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INTERACTIONS OF BACTERIA AND MICROFLAGELLATES IN SEQUENCING BATCH REACTORS EXHIBITING ENHANCED MINERALIZATION OF TOXIC ORGANIC-CHEMICALS.
Microbial Ecology.
127-142.
1992
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ECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JUGLONE (5-HYDROXY-1,4-NAPHTHOQUINONE) BY SOIL BACTERIA.
Journal of Chemical Ecology.
3547-3549.
1990
- COEXISTING BACTERIAL-POPULATIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR MULTIPHASIC MINERALIZATION KINETICS IN SOIL. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2692-2697. 1990
- SUPPLEMENTAL SUBSTRATE ENHANCEMENT OF 2,4-DINITROPHENOL MINERALIZATION BY A BACTERIAL CONSORTIUM. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 1551-1558. 1990
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INTERFERENCE BETWEEN SALSOLA-KALI L SEEDLINGS - IMPLICATIONS FOR PLANT SUCCESSION.
Plant and Soil.
107-110.
1989
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DYNAMICS OF MICROBIAL-POPULATIONS IN SOIL - INDIGENOUS MICROORGANISMS DEGRADING 2,4-DINITROPHENOL.
Microbial Ecology.
285-296.
1989
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KINETICS OF BIODEGRADATION OF MIXTURES OF SUBSTRATES IN SOIL.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
703-708.
1989
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DEGRADATION OF JUGLONE BY SOIL BACTERIA.
Journal of Chemical Ecology.
1561-1571.
1988
- KINETICS OF PARA-NITROPHENOL MINERALIZATION BY A PSEUDOMONAS SP - EFFECTS OF 2ND SUBSTRATES. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2617-2623. 1987
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NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCE OF BACILLUS-SUBTILIS-DNAB - A GENE ESSENTIAL FOR DNA-REPLICATION INITIATION AND MEMBRANE ATTACHMENT.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
653-657.
1987
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MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI ON THE GALAPAGOS-ISLANDS.
Biotropica.
236-240.
1986
- EFFECTS OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC-CARBON AND 2ND SUBSTRATES ON THE BIODEGRADATION OF ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS AT LOW CONCENTRATIONS. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 822-827. 1985
- GROWTH OF PHENOL-MINERALIZING MICROORGANISMS IN FRESH-WATER. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 11-14. 1985
- MODELS FOR THE KINETICS OF BIODEGRADATION OF ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS NOT SUPPORTING GROWTH. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 323-331. 1985
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PREDICTING THRESHOLD CONCENTRATIONS OF ORGANIC SUBSTRATES FOR BACTERIAL-GROWTH.
Journal of Theoretical Biology.
1-8.
1985
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ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL COSTS OF BIOMASS ENERGY.
Bioscience.
89-94.
1984
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THE ROLE OF ENDOMYCORRHIZAE IN REVEGETATION PRACTICES IN THE SEMI-ARID WEST .4. EFFECT OF THE NON-MYCORRHIZAL PIONEER PLANT SALSOLA KALI L - (CHENOPODIACEAE) ON VESICULAR-ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL (VAM) FUNGI.
American Journal of Botany.
1035-1039.
1984
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INTERSPECIFIC PLANT-ASSOCIATION EFFECTS ON VESICULAR-ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZA OCCURRENCE IN ATRIPLEX-CONFERTIFOLIA.
New Phytologist.
241-246.
1983
-
Life at extreme elevations on Atacama volcanoes: the closest thing to Mars on Earth?.
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.
1389-1401.
2018
Background
education and training
- Ph.D., Cornell University 1985
- M.S., Colorado State University 1981
- B.S., Boise State University 1979
awards and honors
International Activities
global connections related to teaching and scholarly work (in recent years)
- Argentina Country
- Asia Continent
- Australia and New Zealand Continent
- Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Country
- Chile Country
- Nepal Country
- Peru Country
- South America Continent