This summer has been an exciting time for baldcypress microbiomes! First we knew nothing and now we know so much more – thanks to the hard work of so many in the Van Bael lab. First let’s talk about  fungi in bald cypress.We found that fungal diversity was the highest at intermediate levels of salinity. We also found that flooding had little effect on fungal communities and that there may be negative feedback from soil that decreases baldcypress growth: Torres-Martinez_et_al-2020-Plant_Ecology baldcypress floodingFinally the bacteria – We found that Salinity, Water Level, and Forest Structure Contribute to Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) Rhizosphere and Endosphere Community Structure: Lumibao et al. 2020 bacteria Wetlands

Congrats to the huge team of people involved in this work!

Kathalina Tran helps collect baldcypress leaves and roots