Research
Current projects
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Kanold E., Buchanan, S.W., Tosi, M., Fahey, C, Dunfield, K., Antunes, P. (2024). Addition of polyester microplastic fibers to soil alters the diversity and abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and affects plant growth and nutrition. European Journal of Soil Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103666
Plastics science for a cleaner future
Microplastics are emerging as a ubiquitous presence in terrestrial systems and could pose a serious threat to soil biota and functioning. This project assesses the impact of microplastics (conventional and biodegradable) on soil microbial community structure and belowground plant functional traits. Using isotopic methods, I evaluate the downstream consequences of different conventional and biodegradable plastic polymers on soil C mineralization and efflux.
This project is one of seven across Canada awarded a total of $7 million, from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Environment and Climate Change Canada under their joint Plastics Science for a Cleaner Future initiative.
I work with the plastics in aquatic and terrestrial systems group: https://www.microplasticecotox.com/
Past Projects
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Buchanan, S.W., Sauvadet, M., Isaac, M.E. (2023). Decomposition of litter mixtures induces non-additive effects on soil priming across a riparian land use gradient. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109285
Buchanan, S.W., Mafa-Attoye, T., Dunfield, K., Thevathasan, N.V., Isaac, M.E. (2022). The role of plant functional traits in soil carbon dynamics within riparian agroforests. Journal of Environmental Quality. 51:33–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20303
Buchanan, S.W., Baskerville, M., Oelbermann, M., Gordon, A.M., Thevathasan, N.V., Isaac, M.E. (2020). Plant diversity and agroecosystem function in riparian agroforests: providing ecosystem services and land-use transition. Sustainability. 12(2), 568. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020568
Riparian buffer plantings: An agroforestry land-use for greenhouse gas mitigation
Riparian agroforestry buffers offer a significant opportunity to enhance carbon (C) storage while also augmenting local biodiversity, with buffer management playing a critical role in determining the services derived from these systems. Notably, woody and herbaceous plant communities drive C cycling via aboveground litter mineralization, belowground root respiration, and soil microbial decomposition dynamics. Yet, how plant diversity and soil microbial biota interact to regulate C cycling remains elusive, especially in riparian ecotones, which are relatively understudied, yet becoming a more prominent agricultural landscape feature. Using a functional-trait based approach, I conducted in-situ field studies paired with laboratory experiments within or using riparian landscape features to assess a series of questions related to diversity and C cycling dynamics.
This project was funded under the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Program (AGGP, 2016-2021), an application-based $27-million, five-year base funded program. The program was initiated to represent Canada’s contribution to the Global Research Alliance for the mitigation of agricultural GHGs. For more information, please visit: https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/department/transparency/evaluation-agricultural-greenhouse-gases-program-2016-17-2020-21-summary
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Buchanan, S.W., Isaac, M.E., Van den Meersche, K., Martin, A.R. (2019). Functional traits of coffee along a shade and fertility gradient in coffee agroforestry systems. Agroforestry Systems. 93(4), 1261-1273.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-018-0239-1
Intraspecific variation in functional traits of coffee along a shade and fertility gradient
In collaboration with Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigaciony Ensenanza (CATIE) in Turrialba, Costa Rica, this study looked at how management decisions related to light (monoculture or agroforestry) and nutrients (organic - conventional) impacted the response of coffee functional traits.
We measured seven leaf traits related to physiology, morphology and chemistry, across different levels of fertilization and light availability to assess intraspecific variation. As climates change, plasticity in functional trait responses will be vital in ensuring a healthy and prosperous crop.