Native Plant Society of New Mexico Native Plant Society of New Mexico

Garden Center at Memorial Park, El Paso, TX

In dryland ecosystems, the community of tiny organisms in the soil greatly influences plant life and the entire ecosystem. These microorganisms impact vital processes like storing carbon, recycling nitrogen, and affecting water availability. They form a close-knit relationship with plants, especially in area around roots. Understanding these connections is key because they affect how plants absorb nutrients and cope with environmental changes.

Pari’s study delves into the soil microbial communities of different dryland plants. It aims to uncover how these communities change when plants face global change pressures like drought and changes in nutrient availability. By investigating these relationships, she aims to grasp how plants and soil microbes adapt to environmental changes in dryland areas. This understanding is vital for predicting how these ecosystems might respond to future global changes.

Parikrama Sapkota (Pari) is a PhD candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Texas at El Paso, advised by Dr. Kelly Ramirez. She is also Jornada-LTER Fellow. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of global changes on the interaction between plants and microbes in dryland systems and aims to grasp their role in the restoration process. To explore these questions, she employs various approaches, such as fieldwork, molecular lab techniques, and coding.