Miranda Hart 
Soil Biology Conservation
Pedocide?
It's  easy to see how humans have destroyed forests, wetlands and grasslands - but what is happening below ground? 
It’s hard to know.  
 Are we too late?  
What does a world without wild microbes look like?   
 
As a professor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan,  I am trying to discover what soil microbial communities were like before we got here, and if we can save what we’ve still got. 
Research
Ancient soils
Are ancient soils as unique as the communities that  live on them?  Do they function differently?
What happens when the trees are cut down - will these trees ever grow back? 
We're looking at ancient systems throughout the world to see if old growth soils are different, and what might be lost when these systems disappear.
Sustainable Ag
We know that microbes help plants deal with nutrient and environmental stress....but can they wean us of fertilizer and biocides?
 Working primarily in vitulcultural systems (Okanagan, hello!)  we're seeing how microbes can be used to reduce disease, increase nutrient uptake and create a more interesting product.
Biofertilzers - friend or foe?
Are there invasive microbes? This could be a good or a bad thing. While we want microbes to act invasively in certain situations (agricultural application, remediation, restoration), are these deliberate inoculations resulting in unintentional introductions into natural systems? And what does it mean for natural systems?
People
Miranda Hart, PI
Just trying to save some trees, one core at a time.
Taylor Holland, PhD 

Vasilis Kokkoris, PhD


Eric Vukicevich, PhD
My interests include the role of vineyard ground cover vegetation on plant-soil feedbacks in perennial agriculture; living mulches for vineyards; biocontrol fungi; genetics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; and the social dynamics of cnidarian community assembly.
Corrina Thomsen, MSc
I’m interested in how plant-soil interactions affect broad scale ecological processes, and currently studying the potential for commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal inoculants to invade native AM fungal communities
Nishat Tasnim, MSc
I am studying the impact of environmental microbes on the colonization of the infant gut. I am particularly interested in how the environment shapes our physiology from infancy to adulthood.
Andrew Richards, MSc
I am investigating the potential for cover crops to suppress grapevine pathogens and promote sustainable approaches to agriculture."

Becky Loverock, BSc

Michelle McDonald, BSc
I am looking at how cover crop communities affect the populations of insect pathogenic fungi present in vineyard systems. 
Thea Miles, BSc
I find arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi fascinating. My research investigates the effects of in vitro propagation on trait variation within a species. 

Academic Writing
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