Plant Invasions, Root Traits, and Implications for Ecosystem Functioning with Dr. Matthew McCary

Plant invasions represent one of the most pressing global change drivers, yet their belowground impacts remain poorly understood. Soil communities regulate nutrient cycling, plant diversity, and ecosystem functioning. Here, I show how invasive plants alter these processes by disrupting fungal resources, reshaping soil food webs, and homogenizing microbial communities through their root traits. Using field experiments and continental-scale trait datasets, I demonstrate how these changes cascade to reduce biodiversity and ecosystem function. By uncovering these belowground dynamics, this work highlights the importance of soil communities in predicting and mitigating the long-term impacts of invasive plants.

Dr. Matthew McCary, an Assistant Professor at Rice University, researches how environmental disturbances (biological invasions, urbanization, and climate change) alter the relationship between soil biodiversity and ecosystem health. His research is interdisciplinary, which includes field and lab experiments, mathematical and statistical modeling, and molecular tools. His research has been supported by prestigious institutions, such as the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). McCary completed his Ph.D. in ecology and evolution at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His postdoctoral training consisted of an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale University’s School of the Environment.

Register on Zoom