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Awesome day filming with @lizkoziol.bsky.social on her arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi research. Inoculation improves floristic quality, diversity, and suppresses weeds!

Temperate grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world . We had maybe 200 million acres of tallgrass prairie in North America. This specific prairie is probably 8,000 years old. Just a few of them left at this level.

There is a LOT of attention for soil health, especially in agricultural systems, but there is very little awareness of the value of intact, undisturbed, native soils. Here, I argue that applying the old-growth concept to soils will help their protection. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Visited the prairie park remnant in Lawrence yesterday and found three new england asters flowering. They usually flower ~September. Did I miss summer? What is happening?

The little pocket prairie next to my work parking lot does not disappoint #monarch #nativeplants #echinacea

Breaking news: Indiana University plant microbiologist Roger Innes has been locked out of his laboratory by the school in response to a request by one of his federal funders. The move comes after Innes complained about the government’s prosecution of Chinese postdocs. https://scim.ag/4tsDqRr

Real-world results from the classroom 🌱🦠🌏 Students grew milkweed with/without MycoBloom fungal inoculant and found: “MycoBloom treated swamp milkweed sprouted sooner and is much taller!” — Lisa Ball, Environmental Club Sponsor, Lawrence High School #Mycorrhizae #Milkweed #STEMeducation

After disappearing from the Milwaukee River in the early 20th century due to overfishing and habitat loss, the new discovery of an adult sturgeon 20 miles upstream from Lake Michigan is a milestone in a massive restoration project that’s been underway for 20 years www.wuwm.com/lake-sturgeo...

Our paper 'What determines transfer of carbon from plants to mycorrhizal fungi?' was one of top 10 most-cited papers published in @newphyt.bsky.social in 2024. Thanks to the research community for considering our ideas and arguments.

Our @newphyt.bsky.social article made the High-Impact Research Collection: Top 10 Most Read of 2025 Meta-analysis: globally sourced commercial mycorrhizal inoculants often fall short nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Mixing prairie seed for a last-minute project add-on and always struck by the contrast: ~50 forb species mostly have compact, intricate, colorful seeds while the 8 species grass mixture is basically clouds of fluff.🌾🌿🌱🌼☁️ Hard to believe a whole prairie can start from a few handfuls.

Ready to supply ~100 cyclists w/seed bombs for our city's abandoned lots at tonight's @wednightrides.org! They contain 6-7 species of native plant seeds to juice up the biodiversity of our city, incl. Ironweed Echinacea Partidge Pea Bee Balm Blue Vervain Blackeyed Susan Swamp Milkweed (sometimes)

We need help keeping the world’s largest living library of mycorrhizal fungi alive. The INVAM mycorrhizal culture collection is at risk due to federal funding cuts. Its loss would be catastrophic. Link to donate: 🔗 invam.ku.edu/donate Read @theguardian.com article: 🔗 buff.ly/hkEGXgu

@invam.bsky.social collection, prairies, and AMF all featured in the awesome article Defunding fungi: US’s living library of ‘vital ecosystem engineers’ is in danger of closing www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Kansas ranchers, landowners, and others with an active working knowledge of grasslands, the Kansas Department of Ag wants your input on the importance of the Kansas grasslands. I hope my biodiversity and restoration folks chime in! Find the link here: www.agriculture.ks.gov/about-us/kan...

Our controlled burn last week had lots of green in the understory, which made for a super steamy smoke cloud.

A fun set of talks this Sunday at the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center (Lawrence, Kansas)! 🍄🧪🔬🦠🌿 Join us at 1:30 PM for prairie restoration & ecology talks. Helen Alexander will talk about tallgrass prairies, and I’ll share about restoring mycorrhizal fungi—with microscopes & live fungi to explore!

New study from @mvanderheijden.bsky.social lab, showing that many commercial mycorrhizal inoculants are snake oil. So important for this data to be published! Between this, @lizkoziol.bsky.social and Matt Salomon’s work… well I think we make a strong point. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

The cats approach the jack-o'-lanterns with caution. Step one: administer several investigative smacks.

Such a long, warm fall we have been having, a Rudbeckia hirta starting to flower at the end of October. Crazy

New paper on AM fungi in a prairie restoration experiment planted with community members back in 2021! Beyond the cool results we found, this was such a fun day where so many of my labmates and volunteers supported my first field experiment as a grad student. Feeling so grateful! ☺️

Saw this little cutie on my way into the Kansas Biological Survey this morning. iNat suggests it's Basiothia medea, the small verdant hawk moth caterpillar.

I love visiting my AMF inoculation experiments across every season. AMF diversity supports forbs, and floral diversity across seasons keeps wildlife thriving year-round. These New England asters still blooming in October host orange sulphurs, monarch butterflies, and some busy bees!

New paper! I am excited about it, since it has some very cool contributions on: -Status of Invasive ectomycorrhizal fungi -Definition of what is a invasive mycorhizal 🍄 -Cool picture of trees being brought from Europe in 1920! Lead by @nahpo.bsky.social! nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Excited to share our paper on grassland establishment 7 yrs after native #AMF inoculation—showing AMF result in higher diversity + prairie spread into old fields—was selected Editor’s Choice by @femsjournals.bsky.social.🦠🌎 I’ll discuss next week at #SER2025 Denver ! academic.oup.com/femsle/artic...

I was honored to be an invited speaker at this year’s Grassland Restoration Network meeting! 🌾 I shared our work on using native inoculants to boost diversity in seed-based restorations—and learned so much from the community of practitioners & researchers. #RestorationEcology #Grasslands

Thrilled to see the INVAM fungal collection—and our dedicated curators—featured in the Fall issue of @sierramagazine.bsky.social Preserving the world’s largest library of mycorrhizal fungi to power ecosystem restoration, science, and sustainable ag. 🦠🌱🌍 🔗 digital.sierramagazine.org/publication/...

Call for symposia at @ICOM2026 is open until 15 October. The 13 conference of @mycorrhiza_ims #Mycorrhiza will take place in Cairns, Australia, 12-17 July 2026! @southmycorrhiza @karst_justine @fmartin1954 @1pantunes #soil #fungi icom2026.org/symposia/

We're seeking a new Senior Editor! ⏰ Are you... 👉intrigued by the interface between ecology & biological resource management? 👉a clear communicator who enjoys working as part of a team? 👉committed to maintaining high editorial standards? More info 👇 bit.ly/4lPzaIx

My new paper is out! 🧪🦠 Seven years later: native AMF inoculation improves grassland restoration successional stage, floristic quality index, and diversity, while suppressing weeds: academic.oup.com/femsle/artic... Why microbes matter in restoration 🧵

First-year prairie restoration: we’re moving AM fungi from intact remnants to a disturbed site. Foxtail may be the dominant weed now, but I know from experience it’ll be nearly gone next year—no management needed. And honestly? I think it’s very pretty. 🌾🦠🧪🌎🍄

Job alert! Please share. We're looking for an urban ecologist (PhD) to join the research team at the Holden Arboretum. Develop an active research program while supporting stakeholders. 🌳 I'll be at #ESA2025 and happy to chat. #AltAc #HoldenScience #UrbanEcology holdenfg.org/career-and-i...

We are hiring a full time lab technician to assist with several long-term richness/biodiversity/microbe/drought/restoration manupulation experiments at the KU field station. Applications due this week! Please share. Job Posting - Research Technician share.google/GsSTtiW4rIm5...

Prairie Blazing Star to the horizon on an old growth prairie on the edge of the KC metro. What a strong flowering response from a dormant season fire after 3 years of haying!

When your dedicated DM has a 3D printer and zero chill, high-end minis magically appear. Meet: 💎Rock (the rock barbarian) 🐝 A drow beekeeper/ crossbow sniper 🍄 Myc the spore druid 🕵️‍♂️ Mildew (two gnome rogues in a trench coat) 🐺 A nasty Wild Shape wolf #DnD #minis #3dprinting

Myles stands next to an absolutely giant compass plant (Silphium lacinatum). Myles is 6'3 for reference! This plot is part of a grassland restoration experiment in its 8th year and it included a native AM fungal addition. #nativeplants 🌎🧪🦠🍄🌱🌾

Saprotrophy-to-symbiosis continuum in fungi I enjoyed writing this piece with Tan Hao for the Current Biology special issue on Fungi www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Excellent job opportunity at @unihohenheim.bsky.social: build your own team in Experimental Plant Biodiversity Research (within @plantecology.bsky.social, group of Frank Schurr). Great environment (also b/c of new @greenrobust.de and #TERRA @dfg.de clusters of excellence), and great people!

New episode out now! We sit down to chat with @lizkoziol.bsky.social to discuss prairie fungi! Available wherever you get your podcasts!

A female Western Gull was recorded riding 150km in a garbage truck from San Francisco to a compost facility in Central CA, probably to forage. TWICE. An innovator, an icon, a genius. This is one of my favorite @waterbirdsociety.bsky.social papers I've ever handled as managing editor #ornithology

Spring forbs in the prairie are so dramatic, the droopy petals of the pale purple cone flower, the giant flowering spikes of the Baptisia standing 4 feet taller than all the rest of the vegetation. Ridiculous #nativeplants #restorationecology

For Australian Domestic students interested in pursuing a PhD in molecular mycorrhizal studies, please consider applying for a scholarship-funded position in my lab (tinyurl.com/jxcdhp3p) - our lab is a diverse group studying plant-microbe interactions from genes to landscapes

The Baptisia in the pocket prairie at work busted up the earth as it emerged. #nativeplants #plantpower

First morel mushroom and Jack-in-the-pulpit finds of the spring in the Kansas woodlands 🍄📸🌱

So honored to receive this award from @jappliedecology.bsky.social! Huge thanks to my amazing collaborators @martin-nunez.bsky.social @rodriguezcabal.bsky.social & Tere Morán-López

Realising the promise of arbuscular #mycorrhizal fungal #biofertilisers through more applied research 📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 👆 A #Commentary by Salomon & Watts-Williams on this article by Koziol et al. 👇 📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #LatestIssue

I was so happy to participate with the whole invam.bsky.social team to be interviewed for this podcast, which covers the history of mycorrhizae, the INVAM fungal collection, and recent global research on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculants.

Since March 27, 2025, 1,300 species of #fungi are now listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species! 🍄📢 ⬇️📈 I made two slides to illustrate how the number of assessed and threatened fungal species has changed over time. Another important milestone for fungal #conservation!

Newly Submitted Manuscript: A vibrant forb-rich prairie restoration powered by native mycorrhizal fungal inoculants! Data from 7 years post-inoculation shows AM fungal amendments boost plot quality (Floristic Quality Index) and reduces weeds. #SoilHealth #nativeplants #Mycorrhizae #forbs 🍄🧪🌏🌾🌿