EES Seminar: When is spatial heterogeneity critical for understanding dryland carbon cycling? H. Throop, ASU

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Drylands (arid and semi-arid ecosystems) are an important, but poorly understood, component of the global carbon cycle. Although above- and belowground carbon concentrations are typically relatively low in drylands, these systems account for a large and dynamic portion of the global soil carbon pool. Changes in biogeochemical processes in these systems therefore have the potential to strongly influence regional and global cycles. Drylands are also changing globally; increases in woody plant cover in these systems is one of the largest global land cover changes of the past century and ecological processes in drylands appear to be particularly vulnerable to climate change. Despite the importance of drylands to Earth system processes and human livelihoods, our understanding of the controls over ecosystem processes in these systems lags far behind that of wetter ecosystems. Recent work suggests that mechanistic controls over litter decomposition and soil organic matter dynamics may differ between drylands and more mesic systems. This seminar will discuss recent work on carbon cycling, organic matter decomposition, and surface soil processes in drylands, with a focus on the importance of characterizing patterns of spatial heterogeneity. An understanding of how dryland ecosystem processes respond to climate and management effects is critical for developing a predictive understanding of future trajectories of these systems, and for implementing responsive and sustainable land management strategies.

Heather Throop is an ecosystem scientist whose research and teaching interests focus on carbon cycling in dryland ecosystems. After receiving a doctorate from Stony Brook University, Dr. Throop moved to University of Arizona for a NOAA Climate and Global Change postdoctoral fellowship and quickly became intrigued by deserts. She has held faculty positions at Beloit College and New Mexico State University, been a Fulbright research and teaching fellow at Namibia University of Science and Technology, and served as a program officer at the National Science Foundation. Dr. Throop is currently a professor at Arizona State University where she is jointly appointed in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the School of Life Sciences.