About Us
We are a biogeochemistry and ecology laboratory at The Evergreen State College. Our larger mission is to promote and support engagement in the science of biogeochemistry and ecology at all levels of training. We focus on projects related to ecosystem carbon (C) cycling and the effects of species and genetic biodiversity on ecosystem function. Our research involves measuring C flux and biodiversity both above- and below-ground. The lab’s current work is divided between riparian cottonwood forests in the intermountain West (US), western Washington prairies, second-growth western Washington forests, forest carbon cycling, soils, stream ecology, and forest-stream interactions.
Some active research in the lab: We are excited about our ongoing work examining genetic effects on ecosystems using Cottonwood forests as a model ecosystems. Our recent work in this area has suggested individual tree genotypes can have unique ecosystem-level effects on forests and streams (in water, carbon, and nitrogen cycling). We are continuing our long-term collaborations with other universities and agencies working on riparian forest restoration and research along the lower Colorado River (AZ) in the Southwestern US, and the Weber River (UT) in the Intermountain West.
We have new collaborations with government agencies and NGO’s working on restoration ecology in South Puget Prairies. Specifically, we are examining how prairie soil chemistry and plant communities respond to prescribed-fire exclusion. We are currently gearing-up for another spring of permanent vegetation plot measurement in the South Sound Prairies! This year we home to finally begin work examining the long-term effect of burns on soil C and N content, micronutrient pools, and C flux.
Finally, this year we will begin a series of new projects evaluating plant and soil responses to tephra deposits in forests from the 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens! It has been more than 30 years since the eruption and we will be looking at how soils have recovered after this massive disturbance in collaboration with Don Zobel (OSU) and Joe Antos (UBC). Check back for more on this exciting new project
Check out our publications page for more recent work! You can contact us directly through
fischerd (at) evergreen.edu
and
leroy (at) evergreen.edu
