This study compares microbial community responses to short-term and long-term drought in soil, finding that prolonged drought alters microbial composition and organic matter profiles, with rewetting not restoring pre-drought conditions.

bioRxiv · Jul 23, 2026 · PreprintEcology

Short-term coastal forest responses to a hurricane-scale freshwater and saltwater flooding experiment

Allison Myers‐Pigg, Anya M. Hopple, Stephanie Pennington, Peter Regier, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Mia J. DiCianna, Kennedy O. Doro, Nate G. McDowell, Julia McElhinny, Alice E. Stearns, Nicholas Dudley Ward, Vanessa Bailey, J. Patrick Megonigal

This study examines the immediate effects of saltwater and freshwater flooding on coastal upland forests following an experimental hurricane-scale flooding event.

PLoS ONE · May 13, 2026Peer-reviewedEcology

Experimental flooding impacts soil biogeochemistry but not aboveground vegetation in a coastal forest

Peter Regier, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Nicholas Dudley Ward, Vanessa Bailey, Roberta Bittencourt Peixoto, Fausto Machado‐Silva, Nate G. McDowell, Kendalynn A. Morris, Allison Myers‐Pigg, Stephanie Pennington, Mizanur Rahman, Roy Rich, Richard W. Smith, Stephanie Wilson, Stella C. Woodard, , Pat Megonigal

This study examines the effects of experimental flooding on coastal forest soil biogeochemistry and vegetation, finding impacts on soil but not consistent aboveground responses.

bioRxiv · May 9, 2025 · PreprintSystems Biology