Biophysical interactions in agricultural systems across environmental gradients

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Innovative approaches to agriculture production will minimize a host of current challenges: misuse of fertilizers; soil and water contamination; land-use change. Indeed, there is rising interest in critical perspectives for such complex environmental problems. My research group and I respond to this need for research by examining alternative systems of agricultural production using novel techniques to quantify agroecosystem dynamics. My research program addresses important gaps in our understanding of plant traits and the nutrient economy of diverse agroecological systems. Broadly, my most significant research contributions have furthered our understanding of alternative systems of production by identifying agroecosystem dynamics that are beneficial to such systems. New research under this NSERC Discovery Grant Program will advance strategies to achieve important management prescriptions in both an Ontario and international agricultural context. Specifically, my contributions from this research program proposal will i) chart previously unreported interspecific interactions in multi-species systems, ii) develop new research tools to overcome limitations in describing belowground processes, iii) advance our understanding of plant-mediated nutrient supply in agriculture, and iv) illustrate interdisciplinary environmental research. This proposed integrated research is unique to Canada and extremely opportune, as rigorous scientific information is urgently needed at the intersection of food security, conservation, and sustainable development.