Investigating the methane cycle in the desert with a special focus on the carbon and water cycle in dry ecosystems and on plant-methanotroph interactions upon water stress.   As the recognition of methane’s impact on global climate change increases, a multitude of research activities are directed toward reduction of methane emissions. As with so many environmental challenges, the focus is on treating symptoms and controlling damage rather than on understanding the causes and how they can be manipulated. Our research on the methane cycle and the natural interactions between microbes and plants inhabiting dry land provides novel strategies to adapt to climate change in nature and highlights possible solutions for sustainable crop-cultivation practices with a very limited water supply.

Current research projects:

SDSU and JGI (DOE): Methane cycle in dry land: desert lessons to sustainable agriculture. Our research on the methane cycle and the natural interactions between microbes and plants inhabiting dry land can provide novel solutions for sustainable crop-cultivation practices with a very limited water supply. This project is a  collaborative effort with Dr. Elizabeth Waters (SDSU) and the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) of the Department of Energy. The JGI team will perform large-scale sequencing for our genomic, metagenome, and metatranscriptomic samples.