Mark P Waldrop, Ph.D.
Mark's research expertise is in soil microbial ecology and biogeochemistry in response to global change phenomenon. He leads a team focused on studies of microbial, chemical, and biophysical controls on carbon cycling in permafrost, boreal, and wetland ecosystems of Alaska as well as forest and grassland ecosystems of the Western U.S.
Synergistic Activities
USGS Menlo Park Science Advisory Council Member
US Permafrost Association President
Affiliate/Graduate Faculty, University of Alaska Fairbanks & University of Guelph
Bonanza Creek LTER and Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX), Principal Investigator
International Soil Carbon Network (NSCN) member
Integrated Ecosystem Model data contributor, AK Climate Science Center
Permafrost Research Coordination Network contributor
Environmental Microbiome Project (EMP) member
North American Carbon Program (NACP), affiliated project lead
Professional Experience
2013- current Project Chief, Mechanisms of Soil Carbon Sequestration
2007- current Research Soil Scientist, USGS, Menlo Park, CA.
2005-2007 Mendenhall Research Fellow, USGS, Menlo Park, CA.
2002-2004 Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Michigan
Education and Certifications
2002-University of California at Berkeley, Ph.D., Soil Science
1997-University of California at Berkeley, M.S., Soil Science
1995-New Mexico State Univ, B.S. Biology/Ecology, and B.S. Soil Science
Science and Products
Below are Mark's related science projects
Filter Total Items: 13
No Result Found
Below are Mark's related publication
Filter Total Items: 62
Bacterial and enchytraeid abundance accelerate soil carbon turnover along a lowland vegetation gradient in interior Alaska
Boreal wetlands are characterized by a mosaic of plant communities, including forests, shrublands, grasslands, and fens, which are structured largely by changes in topography and water table position. The soil associated with these plant communities contain quantitatively and qualitatively different forms of soil organic matter (SOM) and nutrient availability that drive changes in...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, Jennifer W. Harden, M.R. Turetsky, D.G. Petersen, A. V. McGuire, M.J.I. Briones, A.C. Churchill, D.H. Doctor, L.E. Pruett
Estimating aboveground biomass in interior Alaska with Landsat data and field measurements
Terrestrial plant biomass is a key biophysical parameter required for understanding ecological systems in Alaska. An accurate estimation of biomass at a regional scale provides an important data input for ecological modeling in this region. In this study, we created an aboveground biomass (AGB) map at 30-m resolution for the Yukon Flats ecoregion of interior Alaska using Landsat data and...
Authors
Lei Ji, Bruce Wylie, Dana R. Nossov, Birgit Peterson, Mark P. Waldrop, Jack W. McFarland, Jennifer Rover, Teresa N. Hollingsworth
Vulnerability of high-latitude soil organic carbon in North America to disturbance
This synthesis addresses the vulnerability of the North American high-latitude soil organic carbon (SOC) pool to climate change. Disturbances caused by climate warming in arctic, subarctic, and boreal environments can result in significant redistribution of C among major reservoirs with potential global impacts. We divide the current northern high-latitude SOC pools into (1) near-surface...
Authors
Guido Grosse, Jennifer W. Harden, Merritt R. Turetsky, A. V. McGuire, Philip Camill, Charles Tarnocai, Steve Frolking, Edward A.G. Schuur, Torre Jorgenson, Sergei Marchenko, Vladimir E. Romanovsky, Kimberly Wickland, Nancy French, Mark P. Waldrop, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, Robert G. Striegl
Metagenomic analysis of a permafrost microbial community reveals a rapid response to thaw
Permafrost contains an estimated 1672 Pg carbon (C), an amount roughly equivalent to the total currently contained within land plants and the atmosphere1,2,3. This reservoir of C is vulnerable to decomposition as rising global temperatures cause the permafrost to thaw2. During thaw, trapped organic matter may become more accessible for microbial degradation and result in greenhouse gas...
Authors
Rachel Mackelprang, Mark P. Waldrop, K.M. Deangelis, M.M. David, K.L. Chavarria, S.J. Blazewicz, E.M. Rubin, J.K. Jansson
Molecular investigations into a globally important carbon pool: Permafrost-protected carbon in Alaskan soils
The fate of carbon (C) contained within permafrost in boreal forest environments is an important consideration for the current and future carbon cycle as soils warm in northern latitudes. Currently, little is known about the microbiology or chemistry of permafrost soils that may affect its decomposition once soils thaw. We tested the hypothesis that low microbial abundances and...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, Kimberly Wickland, Rickie White, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Jennifer W. Harden, V.E. Romanovsky
Short-term response of methane fluxes and methanogen activity to water table and soil warming manipulations in an Alaskan peatland
Growing season CH4 fluxes were monitored over a two year period following the start of ecosystem-scale manipulations of water table position and surface soil temperatures in a moderate rich fen in interior Alaska. The largest CH4 fluxes occurred in plots that received both flooding (raised water table position) and soil warming, while the lowest fluxes occurred in unwarmed plots in the...
Authors
M. R. Turetsky, Claire C. Treat, Mark P. Waldrop, J. Michael Waddington, Jennifer W. Harden, A. V. McGuire
Carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change
Human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, have caused a substantial increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. This increase in atmospheric CO2 - from about 280 to more than 380 parts per million (ppm) over the last 250 years - is causing measurable global warming. Potential adverse impacts include sea-level rise...
Authors
Eric T. Sundquist, Robert Burruss, Stephen Faulkner, Robert A. Gleason, Jennifer W. Harden, Yousif K. Kharaka, Larry L. Tieszen, Mark P. Waldrop
Interactive effects of wildfire and permafrost on microbial communities and soil processes in an Alaskan black spruce forest
Boreal forests contain significant quantities of soil carbon that may be oxidized to CO2 given future increases in climate warming and wildfire behavior. At the ecosystem scale, decomposition and heterotrophic respiration are strongly controlled by temperature and moisture, but we questioned whether changes in microbial biomass, activity, or community structure induced by fire might also...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, Jennifer W. Harden
Molecular analysis of fungal communities and laccase genes in decomposing litter reveals differences among forest types but no impact of nitrogen deposition
The fungal community of the forest floor was examined as the cause of previously reported increases in soil organic matter due to experimental N deposition in ecosystems producing predominantly high-lignin litter, and the opposite response in ecosystems producing low-lignin litter. The mechanism proposed to explain this phenomenon was that white-rot basidiomycetes are more important in...
Authors
C.B. Blackwood, Mark P. Waldrop, D.R. Zak, R. L. Sinsabaugh
Response of microbial community composition and function to soil climate change
Soil microbial communities mediate critical ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycles. How microbial communities will respond to changes in vegetation and climate, however, are not well understood. We reciprocally transplanted soil cores from under oak canopies and adjacent open grasslands in a California oak-grassland ecosystem to determine how microbial communities respond to changes in the...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, M.K. Firestone
Response of oxidative enzyme activities to nitrogen deposition affects soil concentrations of dissolved organic carbon
Recent evidence suggests that atmospheric nitrate (NO3- ) deposition can alter soil carbon (C) storage by directly affecting the activity of lignin-degrading soil fungi. In a laboratory experiment, we studied the direct influence of increasing soil NO 3- concentration on microbial C cycling in three different ecosystems: black oak-white oak (BOWO), sugar maple-red oak (SMRO), and sugar...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, D.R. Zak
Resource availability controls fungal diversity across a plant diversity gradient
Despite decades of research, the ecological determinants of microbial diversity remain poorly understood. Here, we test two alternative hypotheses concerning the factors regulating fungal diversity in soil. The first states that higher levels of plant detritus production increase the supply of limiting resources (i.e. organic substrates) thereby increasing fungal diversity. Alternatively...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, D.R. Zak, C.B. Blackwood, C.D. Curtis, D. Tilman
Science and Products
Below are Mark's related science projects
Filter Total Items: 13
No Result Found
Below are Mark's related publication
Filter Total Items: 62
Bacterial and enchytraeid abundance accelerate soil carbon turnover along a lowland vegetation gradient in interior Alaska
Boreal wetlands are characterized by a mosaic of plant communities, including forests, shrublands, grasslands, and fens, which are structured largely by changes in topography and water table position. The soil associated with these plant communities contain quantitatively and qualitatively different forms of soil organic matter (SOM) and nutrient availability that drive changes in...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, Jennifer W. Harden, M.R. Turetsky, D.G. Petersen, A. V. McGuire, M.J.I. Briones, A.C. Churchill, D.H. Doctor, L.E. Pruett
Estimating aboveground biomass in interior Alaska with Landsat data and field measurements
Terrestrial plant biomass is a key biophysical parameter required for understanding ecological systems in Alaska. An accurate estimation of biomass at a regional scale provides an important data input for ecological modeling in this region. In this study, we created an aboveground biomass (AGB) map at 30-m resolution for the Yukon Flats ecoregion of interior Alaska using Landsat data and...
Authors
Lei Ji, Bruce Wylie, Dana R. Nossov, Birgit Peterson, Mark P. Waldrop, Jack W. McFarland, Jennifer Rover, Teresa N. Hollingsworth
Vulnerability of high-latitude soil organic carbon in North America to disturbance
This synthesis addresses the vulnerability of the North American high-latitude soil organic carbon (SOC) pool to climate change. Disturbances caused by climate warming in arctic, subarctic, and boreal environments can result in significant redistribution of C among major reservoirs with potential global impacts. We divide the current northern high-latitude SOC pools into (1) near-surface...
Authors
Guido Grosse, Jennifer W. Harden, Merritt R. Turetsky, A. V. McGuire, Philip Camill, Charles Tarnocai, Steve Frolking, Edward A.G. Schuur, Torre Jorgenson, Sergei Marchenko, Vladimir E. Romanovsky, Kimberly Wickland, Nancy French, Mark P. Waldrop, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, Robert G. Striegl
Metagenomic analysis of a permafrost microbial community reveals a rapid response to thaw
Permafrost contains an estimated 1672 Pg carbon (C), an amount roughly equivalent to the total currently contained within land plants and the atmosphere1,2,3. This reservoir of C is vulnerable to decomposition as rising global temperatures cause the permafrost to thaw2. During thaw, trapped organic matter may become more accessible for microbial degradation and result in greenhouse gas...
Authors
Rachel Mackelprang, Mark P. Waldrop, K.M. Deangelis, M.M. David, K.L. Chavarria, S.J. Blazewicz, E.M. Rubin, J.K. Jansson
Molecular investigations into a globally important carbon pool: Permafrost-protected carbon in Alaskan soils
The fate of carbon (C) contained within permafrost in boreal forest environments is an important consideration for the current and future carbon cycle as soils warm in northern latitudes. Currently, little is known about the microbiology or chemistry of permafrost soils that may affect its decomposition once soils thaw. We tested the hypothesis that low microbial abundances and...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, Kimberly Wickland, Rickie White, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Jennifer W. Harden, V.E. Romanovsky
Short-term response of methane fluxes and methanogen activity to water table and soil warming manipulations in an Alaskan peatland
Growing season CH4 fluxes were monitored over a two year period following the start of ecosystem-scale manipulations of water table position and surface soil temperatures in a moderate rich fen in interior Alaska. The largest CH4 fluxes occurred in plots that received both flooding (raised water table position) and soil warming, while the lowest fluxes occurred in unwarmed plots in the...
Authors
M. R. Turetsky, Claire C. Treat, Mark P. Waldrop, J. Michael Waddington, Jennifer W. Harden, A. V. McGuire
Carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change
Human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, have caused a substantial increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. This increase in atmospheric CO2 - from about 280 to more than 380 parts per million (ppm) over the last 250 years - is causing measurable global warming. Potential adverse impacts include sea-level rise...
Authors
Eric T. Sundquist, Robert Burruss, Stephen Faulkner, Robert A. Gleason, Jennifer W. Harden, Yousif K. Kharaka, Larry L. Tieszen, Mark P. Waldrop
Interactive effects of wildfire and permafrost on microbial communities and soil processes in an Alaskan black spruce forest
Boreal forests contain significant quantities of soil carbon that may be oxidized to CO2 given future increases in climate warming and wildfire behavior. At the ecosystem scale, decomposition and heterotrophic respiration are strongly controlled by temperature and moisture, but we questioned whether changes in microbial biomass, activity, or community structure induced by fire might also...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, Jennifer W. Harden
Molecular analysis of fungal communities and laccase genes in decomposing litter reveals differences among forest types but no impact of nitrogen deposition
The fungal community of the forest floor was examined as the cause of previously reported increases in soil organic matter due to experimental N deposition in ecosystems producing predominantly high-lignin litter, and the opposite response in ecosystems producing low-lignin litter. The mechanism proposed to explain this phenomenon was that white-rot basidiomycetes are more important in...
Authors
C.B. Blackwood, Mark P. Waldrop, D.R. Zak, R. L. Sinsabaugh
Response of microbial community composition and function to soil climate change
Soil microbial communities mediate critical ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycles. How microbial communities will respond to changes in vegetation and climate, however, are not well understood. We reciprocally transplanted soil cores from under oak canopies and adjacent open grasslands in a California oak-grassland ecosystem to determine how microbial communities respond to changes in the...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, M.K. Firestone
Response of oxidative enzyme activities to nitrogen deposition affects soil concentrations of dissolved organic carbon
Recent evidence suggests that atmospheric nitrate (NO3- ) deposition can alter soil carbon (C) storage by directly affecting the activity of lignin-degrading soil fungi. In a laboratory experiment, we studied the direct influence of increasing soil NO 3- concentration on microbial C cycling in three different ecosystems: black oak-white oak (BOWO), sugar maple-red oak (SMRO), and sugar...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, D.R. Zak
Resource availability controls fungal diversity across a plant diversity gradient
Despite decades of research, the ecological determinants of microbial diversity remain poorly understood. Here, we test two alternative hypotheses concerning the factors regulating fungal diversity in soil. The first states that higher levels of plant detritus production increase the supply of limiting resources (i.e. organic substrates) thereby increasing fungal diversity. Alternatively...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, D.R. Zak, C.B. Blackwood, C.D. Curtis, D. Tilman