Xiaomei Cheng

Xiaomei Cheng is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, focusing on ecosystem responses to environmental changes. Her research explores soil microbial communities, nutrient cycling, and plant-microbe interactions under disturbances like nitrogen deposition and climate shifts. She holds a PhD in Soil Science from the University of California, Davis, an MS in Plant Nutrition from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and a BS in Soil Science from Henan Agricultural University.

Her work addresses critical questions such as how soil microbes sequester carbon under elevated CO2 and why mycorrhizal fungal changes affect plant diversity. Key findings include studies on mycorrhizal effects on nitrogen uptake in vineyards and oak woodlands. Cheng has published extensively on topics like microbial competition for nitrogen and root dynamics in California ecosystems.

While no awards or grants are explicitly listed, her research bridges fundamental ecological processes with applied agricultural challenges. She has collaborated on projects investigating symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi in vineyards and oak woodlands, contributing to understanding nutrient transfer mechanisms.