Mary K. FIRESTONE

Mary K. Firestone

Professor of the Graduate School

Education

Ph.D. Soil Microbiology Michigan State University, 1979

Research Interests / Specializations:

Soil Microbial Ecology

Research Description:

Soil microbial ecology: Microbial processing of carbon and nitrogen underlie the capacity of soil to support plant growth in agriculture, rangeland, forests, and wetlands. However the extreme heterogeneity of soil and the scale at which microorganisms interact with their habitat has made understanding the ecology of soil microbes a challenge of long duration. The research done in the Firestone lab aspires to fundamental understanding as well as knowledge applicable to current problems including terrestrial system response to global change, sustainability, biodegradation, and soil structure.

Selected Publications

- Shi, Shengjing, D.J. Herman, Z. He, J Pett-Ridge, L. Wu, J. Zhou, M.K. Firestone. 2018. Plant roots alter microbial functional genes supporting root litter decomposition. Soil Biol. Biochem. 97:90-99. doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.09.013
- Whitman, Thea, R. Neurath, A. Perera, D. Ning, J. Zhou, P. Nico, J. Pett-Ridge, and M. Firestone. 2018. Microbial community assembly differs across minerals in a rhizosphere microcosm. Environ Microbiol. 20: 4444-4460.
- Starr, E.P., S. Shi, S. Blazewicz, A. Probst, D. Herman, M.K. Firestone and J.F. Banfield. 2018. Stable isotope informed genome-resolved metagenomics reveals that Saccharibacteria utilize microbially-processed plant-derived carbon. Microbiome 6:122
- Zhalnina, Kate, K.B. Louie, Z. Hao, N. Mansoori, U. Nunes da Rocha, S. Shi, H. Cho, U. Karaoz, D. Loqué, B.P. Bowen, M.K. Firestone, T.R. Northen, and E.L. Brodie. 2018. Dynamic root exudate chemistry and microbial substrate preferences drive patterns in rhizosphere microbial community assembly. Nature Microbiology 3:470-480.
- Pett-Ridge, Jennifer and Mary K. Firestone, 2017. Using stable isotopes to explore root-microbe-mineral interactions in soil. Rhizosphere 2:244-253.
- Nuccio, E. E., J. Anderson-Furgeson, K.Y. Estera, J. Pett-Ridge, P. de Valpine, E. L. Brodie, M.K. Firestone. 2016. Climate and edaphic controllers influence rhizosphere community assembly for a wild annual grass. Ecology 97:1307-1328.
- Shi, Shengjing, E.E. Nuccio, Z.J. Shi, Z. He, J. Zhou, and M.K. Firestone. 2016. The interconnected rhizosphere: High network complexity dominates rhizosphere assemblages. Ecol. Letts. 19:926-936.
- Shi, Shengjing, E Nuccio, DJ. Herman, R Rijkers, K Estera, Jiabao Li, U Nunes da Rocha, Z He, J Pett-Ridge, EL. Brodie, J Zhou, M Firestone. 2015. Successional Trajectories of Rhizosphere Bacterial Communities over Consecutive Seasons. mBio.00746-15.
- Barnard, R.L., C.A. Osborne, M.K. Firestone. 2014. Changing precipitation pattern alters soil microbial community response to wet-up under a Mediterranean-type climate. ISME J. 9:946-957..
- Zhu, Biao, J.L.M. Gutknecht, D. J. Herman, D.C. Keck, M. K. Firestone, W. Cheng. 2014. Rhizosphere priming effects on soil carbon and nitrogen mineralization. Soil Biol. Biochem. 76:183-192.
- Blazewicz, S.J., E. Schwartz, M.K. Firestone. 2014. Growth and death of bacteria and fungi underlie rainfall-induced carbon dioxide pulses from seasonally dried soil. Ecology. 95: 1162-1172.
- Blazewicz, S.J., R.L. Barnard, R.A. Daly, M.K. Firestone. 2013. Evaluating rRNA as an indicator of microbial activity in environmental communities: limitations and uses. ISME J. 7:2061-2068.
- Barnard, R.L., C.A. Osborne, M.K. Firestone. 2013. Responses of soil bacterial and fungal communities to extreme desiccation and rewetting. ISME J. 7: 2229-2241.
- Doll, M Hannah, Armitage, DW, Daly, RA, Emerson, JB, Goltsman,Aliaga, SD, Yelton, AP, Kerekes, J, Firestone, MK, Potts, MD. 2013. Utilizing novel diversity estimators to quantify multiple dimensions of microbial biodiversity across domains. BMC Microbiology. 13:259.

Honors and Awards

- NREL, Excellence in Ecosystem Science Award, 2017
- Elected National Academy of Sciences, 2017
- Career Achievement Award. Soil Ecology Society, 2017
- Fellow - American Geophysical Union, 2016
- Betty and Isaac Barshad Chair in Soil Sciences, College of Natural Resources
- Fellow - Ecological Society of America, 2015
- College of Natural Resources Career Achievement Award, 2013
- Berkeley Faculty Service Award, UC Berkeley Academic Senate 2012
- Senior Fulbright Fellow, Lincoln University, New Zealand 2007.
- Eminent Ecologist in Residence, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, MI, 1997 & 2007.
- Clark Distinguished Lecturer, Soil Science Society America, 2004
- BBSRC Underwood Fellow, York University, UK 2004-05
- Distinguished Environmental Scientist, Woods Hole – 2002
- Fellow - American Academy of Microbiology – 2002
- Fellow - Soil Science Society of America - 1995

Recent Teaching:

ESPM 15 - INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
ESPM 131 - SOIL MICROBIAL ECOLOGY

Contact details

Mary K. Firestone

E-mail: mkfstone@berkeley.edu

Office Address 312D Energy Biosciences Building, 333 Hilgard Hall

Office Phone Number 510-502-2471

Lab Phone Number 510-642-6847

Mailing address

Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management

134 Mulford Hall

University of California

Berkeley, CA 94720

Website(s):

Firestone Lab

Academic Division:

Ecosystem Sciences

Research Group(s):

Firestone Group

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People

Professor of the Graduate School

Contact details

Mary K. Firestone

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People

Professor of the Graduate School

Contact details

Mary K. Firestone