Ashley Keiser Discusses the Dynamics of Deep Soil with 'Civil Eats'
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Ashley Keiser, a soil ecologist and an assistant professor in the College of Natural Sciences’s Stockbridge School of Agriculture and Plant Biology program, is helping advance research into the largely unexplored world beneath our feet. As a science advisor to the University of Idaho's new Deep Soil Ecotron (DSE)—the world's first research facility dedicated to deep soils—Keiser is contributing to efforts to understand how interactions among plant roots, minerals, and microbes influence soil health and climate dynamics. Civil Eats covered the opening of the Ecotron, and spoke with Keiser:
“'The interaction between roots, minerals, and microbes going beyond the topsoil is really fascinating and can help us better understand the soil, our climate, and how changing conditions above ground are driving dynamics below ground,' says Ashley Keiser, a DSE science advisor and soil ecologist at UMass Amherst."
— Civil Eats
By investigating how deeper soil layers store carbon, cycle nutrients, and respond to changing environmental conditions, researchers hope to uncover new opportunities for climate change mitigation. This emerging science could ultimately help farmers develop more resilient soil management practices, better withstand extreme weather, and sustain agricultural productivity in a changing climate.
Learn more at Civil Eats.