Peter Stahl attended Oklahoma State University for my BA in Agriculture and Biology and the University of Wyoming for my MS and PhD in mycology-ecology. After graduating, I moved to Michigan for a postdoc at the Center for Microbial Ecology and Long Term Ecological Research associated with Michigan State University. This post-doc was followed by a position at the National Soil Tilth Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. After several years in postdoc positions, I moved back to Laramie to fill the soil ecologist position in the Department of Renewable Resources. When not in the office or out in the field, I enjoy biking, skiing, homebrewing and spending time with my wife, Michelle, and daughter, Maya.
The foci of my research program are soil microbial ecology and restoration ecology and the interface of these two disciplines. I employ an integrated approach in my work combining analyses of community structure and function as well as environmental influences. Topics we are currently investigating include: 1) spatial and temporal variability of soil microbial communities; 2) response and recovery of soil microbial communities and their ecosystem functions to various forms of disturbance; 3) influence of land management practices on soil microbial community structure and function; 4) nutrient cycling.
Soil Ecology, Biogeochemistry, Restoration Ecology, Plant-Soil-Microbial Interactions, Rangeland Surface Mine Reclamation, Mycorrhizae
My academic training is in the fields of terrestrial and soil microbial ecology. Research in my laboratory is directed towards applied ecological studies relating to land remediation/ reclamation and ecosystem management as well as basic ecological studies of structure and function of microbial communities in soil. Three key areas we focus research on include:
How soil microbial communities and the ecosystem processes they drive are impacted by disturbance
How do microbial communities in soil and the ecosystem processes they drive to recover from disturbance
Can management practices influence the impacts of disturbance, alter recovery of microbial communities and ecosystem processes and hasten site remediation
