The STEPS Seminar Series Welcomes Andrew J. Margenot

Rethinking phosphorus: a case for a biogeochemical approach in agroecosystems

Author: Andrew J. Margenot

Affiliation: Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Ecologically simplified landscapes of the Midwest US are often assumed to be biogeochemically less complex than ecosystems and thus overlooked by biogeochemists. However, the challenges facing agroecosystem functions in this landscape necessitate an integrated biogeochemical approach. This is particularly the case for phosphorus (P), management and understanding of which continues to be evasive. This seminar will review key examples of how biogeochemistry can afford insights to phosphorus management, using case studies from the ground zero of intensive agricultural P use and losses in the heart of the Corn Belt: Illinois.

Bio:

 Dr. Margenot is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he has since 2017 worked on soil fertility and nutrient management. His team takes a biogeochemical approach to understanding and managing the mechanisms that underpin soil functions in cropping systems. A large emphasis of this work is on soil organic matter cycling, nutrient mineralization, and nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency and losses, from field to watershed scales. 

Learn more about the Soils Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.