University of Tennessee

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Jen Schweitzer

Training: MS University of Central AR 1995 (Advisor-KC Larson), Phd. Northern Arizona University 2002 (Advisors-Tom Whitham & Steve Hart)

I am broadly interested in plant-soil feedbacks and how these interactions may impact the services that ecosystem provide (e.g. soil fertility, plant/forest productivity and overall biodiversity issues).  Feedbacks from plant identity (i.e., native vs. exotic), plant genetic diversity or herbivore interactions all have the potential to directly or indirectly impact the soil microbial community and the ecosystem processes that microorganisms mediate, such as nutrient cycles. 

To this end I have been working on better understanding the evolutionary interactions between plants and their associated communities to determine what traits in plants or plant communities impact important ecosystem processes. Answers to these questions will provide both theoretical (i.e. evolutionary consequences of species interactions) and applied insight (e.g. effects of genetically modified organisms) into the interacting factors affecting ecosystem services.  I utilize observational field data, common garden and greenhouse experiments to address these questions using Populus, Eucalyptus, Lonicera and Solidago as model systems.