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Donald R. Zak
Arthur F. Thurnau Professor; Burton V. Barnes Collegiate Professor of Ecology
Conservation + Restoration
About
Don Zak holds a joint appointment in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Literature, Science, and Arts. His research investigates links between the composition and function of soil microbial communities and the influence of microbial activity on ecosystem-level processes. This work draws on ecology, microbiology, and biochemistry and is focused at several scales of understanding, ranging from the molecular to the ecosystem scale. Current research centers on understanding the link between plant and microbial activity within terrestrial ecosystems, and the influence climate change may have on these dynamics. Teaching includes courses in soil ecology and ecosystem ecology.
Publications
- Pellitier, P.T., and D.R. Zak. 2017. Ectomycorrhizal fungi and the enzymatic liberation of nitrogen from soil organic matter: why evolutionary history matters. New Phytologist doi: 10.1111/nph.14598
- Romanowicz, K.J., and D.R. Zak. 2017. Activity of an introduced earthworm increases under future rates of atmospheric N deposition in a northern temperate forest. Applied Soil Ecology 120: 206-210.
- Ibáñez, I, D.R. Zak, A.J. Burton and K.S. Pregitzer. 2018. Anthropogenic N deposition ameliorates the decline in tree growth caused by a drier climate. Ecology doi: 10.1002/ecy.2095.
- Entwistle, E.E., D.R. Zak, and W. Argiroff. 2018. Anthropogenic N deposition increases soil C storage by reducing the relative abundance of lignolytic fungi. Ecological Monographsdoi.org/10.1002/ecm.1288
- Entwistle, E.E., K.J. Romanowicz, W.A. Argiroff, Z. B. Freedman, J. J. Morris. and D.R. Zak 2018. Anthropogenic N deposition alter the composition of expressed class II fungal peroxidases. Applied and Environmental Microbiology doi: 10.1128/AEM.02816-17
- Gan, H., D.R. Zak, and M.D. Hunter. 2018. Scale dependency of dispersal limitation, environmental filtering and biotic interactions determine the diversity and composition of oribatid mite communities. Pedobiologia in press.
- Zak, D.R., W.A. Argiroff, Z.B. Freedman, R.A. Upchurch and E.M. Entwistle. 2018. Fungal gene expression underlies an increasing soil carbon sink in the Northern Hemisphere. Nature Climate Change in revision.
- Walker, W.P., M.G. De Kauwe, B. E. Medlyn, S. Zaehle, C. Iversen, S. Asao, B. Guenet, P.J. Hanson, A. Harper, T. Hickler, B. Hungate, A. Jain, Y. Luo, C. Lu, M. Lu, K. Luus, H. McCarthy, P. Megonigal, R. Oren, W.J. Parton, S. Shu, A. Talhelm, Y. Wang, J.M. Warren, C. Werner, J. Xia, D.R. Zak, R.J. Norby. 2018. A decade of atmospheric CO2 enrichment increases biomass carbon-sequestration across multiple forests. Nature Communications in revision.
Read more publications here.
Research
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2018- 2021 D.R. Zak Title: Ectomycorrhizal fungi and the enzymatic liberation of nitrogen from soil organic matter: ecosystem processes and underlying molecular mechanisms. Sponsor: National Science Foundation $898,855.
Education
PhD, Michigan State University
MS, University of Idaho
BS, Cum Laude, Ohio State University
Affiliations
Science Advisory Board, Climate Change Program, Oak Ridge National Lab (2009-2011).