This paper introduces internal DNA standards for DNA-qSIP to enable comparison of results across laboratories and support a global database of microbial growth and nutrient assimilation rates.

Journal of Microbiological Methods · Sep 28, 2026Peer-reviewedMicrobiology

Rapid Changes in Transcription During a Feast-Famine Event

Paul Dijkstra, Bruce A. Hungate, Jennifer Pett‐Ridge, Steven J. Blazewicz, Javier A. Ceja-Navarro, Ember M. Morrissey, Peter F. Chuckran, Egbert Schwartz

This study examines how soil microbial gene transcription changes during a feast-famine event, showing shifts in metabolic and regulatory pathways over time.

Soil Biology and Biochemistry · Jun 11, 2026Peer-reviewedEcology

Quantitative stable isotope probing to measure in situ growth of protist populations

Rebecca L. Mau, Michaela Hayer, Paul Dijkstra, Stefan Geisen, Bruce A. Hungate, Egbert Schwartz

This study uses quantitative stable isotope probing (qSIP) to measure in situ growth rates of soil protists across a moisture gradient, revealing significant differences in growth rates and taxa abundance.

bioRxiv · Jun 5, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology

Drought reduces formation, but enhances persistence, of mineral-associated organic matter in a grassland soil

Noah W. Sokol, Megan M. Foley, Steven J. Blazewicz, Nicole DiDonato, Katerina Estera‐Molina, Mary K. Firestone, Alex Greenlon, Bruce A. Hungate, William Kew, Ljiljana Paša‐Tolić, Eric W. Slessarev, Jennifer Pett‐Ridge

This study examines how drought affects the formation and persistence of mineral-associated organic matter in grassland soil, finding reduced formation but enhanced persistence of detrital-derived MAOM.

Global Change Biology · Mar 1, 2026Peer-reviewedEcology

Composition, growth, succession, and function in the Cladophora microbiome: insights from quantitative Stable Isotope Probing and NanoSIMS imaging

Raina Fitzpatrick, Bruce A. Hungate, Mary E. Power, Megan M. Foley, Ty J. Samo, Egbert Schwartz, Michaela Hayer, Peter M. Weber, Jennifer Pett‐Ridge, Jane Claire Marks

The paper examines successional changes in the Cladophora microbiome using qSIP and NanoSIMS imaging, revealing shifts in bacterial composition, growth rates, and functional group dynamics.

Environmental Microbiology · Oct 1, 2025Peer-reviewedMicrobiology

Specialist Generalist Trade Offs in Microbial Growth Rates Across Soil Habitats

Megan M. Foley, Noah W. Sokol, Bram WG Stone, Steven J. Blazewicz, Katerina Estera‐Molina, Alex Greenlon, Michaela Hayer, Jeffrey A. Kimbrel, Jennifer Pett‐Ridge, Bruce A. Hungate

The paper measures microbial growth rates in soil habitats to test if specialists grow faster than generalists, finding specialists do, with fungal responses differing due to life-history strategies.

bioRxiv · May 20, 2025 · PreprintMicrobiology

A large global soil carbon sink informed by repeated soil samplings

Ruofei Jia, Evan C. Fricke, Avni Malhotra, Yinon M. Bar‐On, Jie Deng, Gervasio Piñeiro, Bruno Bazzoni, Roberto Álvarez, Nicola J. Findlay, Mariska te Beest, Yong Zhou, Thomas W. Boutton, Javid Ahmad Dar, S. Kothandaraman, Andrew S. MacDougall, , César Terrer

The paper quantifies a global soil organic carbon sink of 1.83 petagrams per year from 1992 to 2020, driven by extratropical and boreal ecosystems, highlighting the importance of soil conservation for climate mitigation.

bioRxiv · Apr 25, 2025 · PreprintEcology

Forensic analysis of Soil Microbiomes: Linking Evidence to a Geographic Location

Jill Hager Cocking, Sgt. Ryan Turley, Viacheslav Y. Fofanov, Kimberly E. Samuels‐Crow, Bruce A. Hungate, Rebecca L. Mau, Paul Keim, J. Gregory Caporaso, Crystal M. Hepp

This study links a soil microbiome from a suspect's sock to a crime scene location, showing potential for forensic use.

bioRxiv · Jul 10, 2020 · PreprintBioinformatics