Overview

Microorganisms are the Earth`s firstborn. They were teeming on the land and in the seas for billions of years before the evolution of plants and animals, and their diversity is staggering. Every pinch of soil contains billions of microbes whose activities regulate terrestrial nutrient cycles and influence the evolution of our biosphere. Despite their importance many aspects of soil microbial communities are still a mystery and soil remains a fertile habitat for discovery. My research makes use of genomic tools to examine the microbial communities that live in soils, to explore their diversity, and to delineate the mechanisms by which they influence environmental processes in terrestrial ecosystems.

Research Focus

My research program examines the ecological significance of microbial diversity in soils. My work focuses on the exploration of microbial diversity, and relationships between microbial diversity, environmental characteristics, and ecosystem processes. My program has a growing focus on genetic diversity within populations and we are currently examining how geographical and environmental factors impact bacterial population structure in soils at landscape and regional scales.

Outreach and Extension Focus

In collaboration with the Cornell Institute for Biology Teachers and other faculty at Cornell I organize and teach a summer workshop for high school science teachers. The workshop, "The Microbial Earth", is a week long laboratory based experience that focuses on the role of microorganisms in the natural world. The workshop is designed to provide teachers with practical tools and open ended laboratory exercises from the microbial world that they can use to get their students excited about science.

Teaching Focus

CSS1120: Microbes, the Earth, and Everything This course provides an introduction to biology through the lens of microbiology, ecology, and evolution. Students investigate the processes that sustain our biosphere, explore the impact of microorganisms on humanity, and examine the unifying principles of life. CSS6740: Environmental Genomics Genomics opens new avenues for exploring interactions between organisms and their environment. This course focuses on the use of genomic tools to provide insight on processes occurring at individual, population, and ecosystem scales which govern the response of biological systems to environmental change. CSS6840: Topics in Soil Microbial Ecology This seminar course reviews current and groundbreaking literature in soil microbial ecology with topics that encompass: microbial biogeography and diversity, biogeochemistry, microbial feedbacks on plant communities, gene exchange and evolution in soils, soil microbial genomics, bioremediation, and relationships between community structure & ecological function in soils.

Additional Links

• Personal
• Research
• Link to CALS Research and Impact
• Link to Research & Expertise Across Cornell

Selected Publications

Journal Publications

• Bergholz, P. W., Noar, J. D., & Buckley, D. H. (2011). Environmental Patterns Are Imposed on the Population Structure of Escherichia coli after Fecal Deposition. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 77:211-219.
• Doroghazi, J. R., & Buckley, D. H. (2011). A neutral model for the effect of homologous recombination on microbial diversification. Genome Biology and Evolution. 3:1349-1356.
• Gaby, J. C., & Buckley, D. H. (2011). A global census of nitrogenase diversity. Environmental Microbiology. 13:1790-1799.
• Dotoghazi, J. R., & Buckley, D. H. (2010). Widespread homologous recombination within and between Streptomyces species. International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal. 4:1136-1143.
• Hsu, S., & Buckley, D. H. (2009). Correspondence between diazotroph diversity and rates of nitrogen fixation in soil. . International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal. 3:124-136.
• Culman, S. W., Bukowski, R., Gauch, H. G., Cadillo-Quiroz, H., & Buckley, D. H. (2009). T-REX: Software for the labeling, processing, and analysis of T-RFLP data. BMC Bioinformatics. 10:171.
• Noar, J., & Buckley, D. H. (2009). Ideonella azotifigens sp. nov., an aerobic diazotroph of the Betaproteobacteria isolated from grass rhizosphere soil, and emended description of the genus Ideonella. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 59:1941-1946.
• Buckley, D. H., Huangyutitham, V., Hsu, S., & Nelson, T. A. (2008). 15N2-DNA-Stable isotope probing of diazotrophic methanotrophs in soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 40:1272-1283.
• Buckley, D. H., Huangyutitham, V., Hsu, S., & Nelson, T. A. (2007). Stable isotope probing with 15N2 reveals novel non-cultivated diazotrophs in soil. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 73:3196-3204.
• Buckley, D. H., Huangyutitham, V., Hsu, S., & Nelson, T. A. (2007). Stable isotope probing with 15N achieved by disentangling the effects of genome G + C content and isotope enrichment on DNA density. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 73:3189-3195.

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