Andrew Kulmatiski, Ph.D.

Field: Wildland Resources
Areas of Focus: Natural Resources Management, Plant-Soil Interactions

Expertise

• Plant-soil feedbacks
• Plant water use
• Soil ecology
• Ecohydrology
• Plant invasions
• Weed management
• Dryland climate response
• Soil organisms

Bio

Andrew Kulmatiski, an associate professor in Utah State University's Environment and Society department, understands that life on earth is dominated by the poorly understood organisms that live in the plant-soil continuum. Dr. Kulmatiski examines the mechanisms through which large scale human activities affect plant-soil interactions. Within this context, he explores two different themes: plant-soil feedbacks and plant water use. In both lines of research his expectation is that results will improve natural resource management. For example, he has examined the potential for calcium addition, soil compaction, and activated carbon addition to ameliorate the effects of anthropogenic nitrogen deposition, soil disturbance, and exotic plant growth, respectively. His research, therefore, is expected to have applications in range management, agriculture, and silviculture.