Researchers at the KBS LTER have leveraged the MiSTRIPS partnership network to launch new grant-funded projects and field studies that may not have been possible without the program. The MiSTRIPS Program at the KBS LTER has become a springboard for new research, helping scientists secure grants and expand studies in sustainable agriculture. Its impact now reaches well beyond installing native prairie species in cropland. In addition to supporting farmers and adding 50 new acres of prairie across Michigan, MiSTRIPS sites also provide valuable field locations for researchers to
Graduate research from the KBS LTER highlights the role of drought in altering plant-environment interactions
Through an experiment that simulates future climate change conditions within the KBS LTER, researchers found that drought strongly affects the chemical compounds released by goldenrod, suggesting that climate change could significantly influence how ecosystems function. Though you might not be able to see it with the naked eye, plants are constantly interacting with their environment. One way they do this is through the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – chemical signals that help them communicate and react to both living and non-living factors around them. These VOCs form the
Graduate research from the KBS LTER reveals how nematodes contribute to soil food web stability in droughts
Using the Rainfall Exclusion Experiment (REX) within the KBS LTER, researchers found that nematode communities are more stable in early successional landscapes than agricultural ones during drought. This study highlights the importance of plant diversity for resilient soil ecosystems under environmental change. As farmers adopt new strategies to cope with increasingly extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and droughts, understanding the mechanisms behind resiliency in agricultural systems is critical. While it’s well-established that drought harms crop production, less is known about
Sprunger receives TAP Award, recognized as changemaker in global food security
W.K. Kellogg Biological Station faculty member and part of the KBS LTER Executive Committee, Christine Sprunger, is one of 39 visionaries named to the 2025 Top Agri-food Pioneers, or TAP, list by the World Food Prize Foundation. Now in its second year, the TAP list honors individuals driving bold and innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges in global food security. This year’s honorees span 27 countries and one territory and range in age from 20 to 79, representing a powerful cross-section of experience, geography and expertise. “The 2025 TAP list showcases
Nature-based climate solutions are a powerful tool to reverse the warming caused by deforestation
Deforestation has intensified global warming, but a new study out in Nature Communications Earth and Environment finds restoring forests and adopting sustainable land-use practices can reverse the damage while benefiting both people and nature. A new study published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment reveals that when land managers implement nature-based climate solutions, they can significantly counteract the climate-warming effects of past deforestation. The research, led by ecologists and climate scientists at Michigan State University’s Department of Plant, Soil, and
New research leverages long-term treatments in novel ways to study plant biotic interactions
Researchers in Kadeem Gilbert’s lab are using experimental treatments within the KBS LTER to look at how leaves regulate their external pH conditions, which may impact how they interact with insect herbivores and microbes. For almost 40 years, researchers at the KBS LTER have studied interactions among plants, microbes, insects, management, and the environment to learn how agriculture can provide both high yields and environmental outcomes that benefit society. One might assume that after all that time, every hypothesis has already been tested! Yet, we continually find there are fresh
Graduate research from the KBS LTER reveals the value of soil microbe diversity for sustainable agriculture
Researchers leveraged the unique land management gradient available at the LTER to better understand how microbe diversity impacts nitrogen fixation rates in the soil. They looked at an understudied group of soil microbes, diazotrophs, which are responsible for a key source of nitrogen in agricultural soils. Increasing aboveground biodiversity is known to promote beneficial ecosystem services. However, less is known about the benefits of biodiversity in the soil, particularly in the microbe communities that facilitate critical nutrient cycling. New research from the KBS LTER provides
Phil Robertson elected to National Academy of Sciences for work in sustainable agriculture
Dr. Phil Robertson, Director of the KBS LTER from 1988 to 2017, and Michigan State University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors for a scientist in the U.S. Original article through MSU here. Phil Robertson, Ph. D., a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University (MSU) in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors for a scientist in the United
Collaboration between Michigan farmers and LTER researchers provides insights into soil health at the margins of agricultural fields
The multi-year collaboration aims to leverage farmer knowledge and experience and combine it with soil sampling to determine how soil conditions are impacted by being on the edge of agricultural fields, leading to useful management recommendations for creating productive farmlands. Intensive agriculture requires widespread adoption of conservation practices to mitigate loss of ecosystem services. Planting native perennial vegetation at the edge-of-fields (EOF) is a conservation practice shown to improve soil health and protect water quality. The deep root systems and stiff stems of
Long-term research at the KBS LTER reveals how changes in land use shape soil structure and carbon storage
Using high-resolution X-ray imaging, researchers from the KBS LTER tested soil samples from the LTER Main Cropping System Experiment and discovered that intensive agriculture continues to influence soil porosity and carbon content for decades after restoration to native habitat. Even after 35 years, restored soils contained only about 50% of the organic carbon found in native grasslands and forests. When it comes to agriculture, it’s not just about what’s in the soil, but also how the soil is structured. Given that much of our land is converted from native habitat to agriculture, it’s
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