The Marin-Spiotta Biogeography and Biogeochemistry (BiogeoLab) Research Group in the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison investigates how landscape disturbances due to changes in climate and land use alter the accumulation and loss of biomass and biologically active elements within and across ecosystem boundaries. Our research draws from biogeochemistry, ecosystem ecology, soil science and biogeography. We combine field and laboratory measurements and geochemical techniques to identify elemental sources and sinks and quantify pools and process rates. Our research cuts across different spatial scales: from microscopic interactions between organic matter and mineral surfaces in soils, to stand-level forest dynamics, to regional soil carbon inventories. We also conduct work on transforming workplace climate and broadening participation in research environments.
We aim for our work and interactions to follow the Department of Geography’s Values Statement.
Research Interests
- Terrestrial carbon cycle dynamics
- Plant-litter-soil organic matter decomposition continuum
- Mechanisms of soil organic matter formation and stabilization
- Links between soil and aquatic carbon cycling
- Interactions between changing biodiversity and biogeochemical cycling
- Legacies of land use in tropical landscapes
- Strategies for recruitment, retention and promotion of underserved and marginalized groups in STEM
- Improving workplace climate through bystander intervention and research ethics training
Prospective Students, Post-Docs and Visiting Scholars
My lab welcomes graduate and undergraduate students, postdocs, researchers and visiting scholars regardless of race, national origin, gender identification, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability status. If you are interested in joining my research group, please send me an email describing your research interests and experience, relevant academic and professional background (such as course or work experience) and your résumé or CV. You can find more information about the graduate program in Geography at UW Madison here. Check out our Biodiversity Conservation in Novel Ecosystems IGERT program and the new Tropical Ecosystem Research Collaborative (TERC). Opportunities exist for collaborations with the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), the Center for Climatic Research (CCR), the Land Tenure Center (LTC), the Center for History and the Environment (CHE), Wisconsin Ecology (WE), and the Center for Limnology (CFL).
Return to UW website.
Professional Organizations and Networks
- American Geophysical Union- Biogeosciences
- International Institute for Tropical Forestry
- PARTNERS RCN
- North Temperate Lakes LTER
- Organization for Tropical Studies
- Radiocarbon Collaborative
- International Soil Carbon Network
- Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN)
- Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG)
- 500 Women Scientists
- Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
- Geoscience Alliance
- American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
- National Association of Black Geoscientists (NABG)