معرفی
Jen Schweitzer is a Professor and Head in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research focuses on the interplay between plant genetics, soil biota, and environmental factors in shaping ecosystem processes. She leads a lab investigating plant-soil linkages, community genetics, and the impacts of global change on terrestrial ecosystems.
Education: PhD in Ecology from Northern Arizona University (2002). Her work spans diverse ecosystems including forests in the western US, southeastern US, Hawaii, and Australia, utilizing species like Eucalyptus and Populus. Key research areas include plant-soil feedbacks, functional traits, and the role of genetic diversity in ecosystem function.
Research interests emphasize multi-disciplinary approaches to understand above- and belowground interactions, with particular attention to climate change, invasion biology, and conservation. Recent studies explore fire ecology, microbiome effects on phenology, and evolutionary responses to environmental gradients. Her group collaborates globally, integrating field experiments and genomic tools.
Publications highlight contributions to plant-soil feedback theory, microbial ecology, and eco-evolutionary dynamics. She advises graduate and undergraduate students on lab projects, emphasizing hands-on fieldwork and data-driven analysis. Current initiatives address climate-driven shifts in plant-microbe interactions and the ecological consequences of genetic variation across landscapes.
Labs/Teams: Schweitzer Lab at UT Knoxville focuses on experimental ecology and evolutionary genetics. Collaborations include international networks studying sky islands and fire-affected ecosystems. Funding sources include NSF and USDA grants supporting her research on biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.
