Currently (as January 2024), most of the lab works in three primary research areas. The first is determining how ectomycorrhizal-saprotrophic fungal interactions impact the decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM). We have found that ectomycorrhizal fungi can both slow or speed SOM decomposition, and our ongoing research is focused on determining how variation in litter chemistry, fungal community composition, and abiotic conditions contribute to altered rates of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling at local and continental scales. The second area is focused on the decomposition of dead fungal mycelium (a.k.a. necromass). This SOM pool is increasingly recognized as a major part of both soil N availability and C storage, yet which microbes are responsible for which parts of its decomposition and how they interact remains poorly understood. We have taken an integrative approach to studying necromass decomposition that seeks to link the structure and functioning of necromass-associated microbial communities, combining lab- and field-based experiments with high-throughput sequencing, isotope probing, and detailed chemical analyses. The third area focuses on documenting the structure of mycorrhizal fungal communities associated with a wide variety of tree hosts, in both temperate and tropical ecosystems. Much of the work in this area has involved collaborations with researchers based at UMN (Jennifer Powers and Jeannine Cavender-Bares), the Morton Arboretum (Andrew Hipp and Luke McCormack), as well as internationally (Mexico: Juan Dupuy, Roberto Garibay-Orijel, Colombia: Aida Vasco-Palacios, Alvaro Duque).