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Root Biology Lab at
The Morton Arboretum


Attend our stellar session at AGU

B065 - Measuring and Modeling the Role of Roots and Belowground Processes in Biogeochemical Cycles
​

7-11 December 2026, San Francisco, USA

Registration and abstract submission are open! 

Check out this great video of Nicholas Medina discussing the importance of mycorrhizal fungi with Britannica.
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Recent Lab Publications

Tumino AC, M Lo, D Duong, BC Reidy, JW Miesbauer, A Hirons, CR Rollinson, ML McCormack. Selecting temperate urban trees for resistance to drought: Relevance of leaf turgor loss point. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 124, 129609 (2026).

Sanaei A, S Saxena, K Mueller, ML McCormack, B Schuldt, D Laughlin, B Rosado, G Freschet, S Addo-Danso, K Barry, J Bergmann, N Eisenhauer, FC Jaeger, H Poorter, H Venterink, J de Vries, M Weemstra, L Mommer, A Weigelt. On the relationship between root economics and plant hydraulic traits. New Phytologist, in press (2026).

Zhao CX, ZH Qian, S Liang, SP Wang, ML McCormack, WL Chen. Meta-analysis reveals asymmetric root and microbial phenology shifts under global change. Nature Communications, (2026).

Rao MP, A Pacheco-Solana, R Li, B Oryan, JE Jensen, M Rodriguez-Caton, L Klinek, ZA Pierrat, S Ruehr, R Oelkers, LE Boeschoten, KL Griffin, ML McCormack, X Yang, J Verfaillie, D Baldocchi, J Hise, AJ Turner, TM Scanlon, L Andreu-Hayles, JUH Eitel, N Pederson, D Griffin, D Stahle, JT Maxwell, S Voelker, SA Kannenberg, J Peñuelas, TS Magney. Decoupled carbon assimilation and growth responses to aridity in temperate deciduous oaks. Science Advances, 12: eady7139 (2026).

Ott JP, J Klimešová, ML McCormack, SJ Tumber-Dávila. 2026. The elephant underground: Belowground plant traits and their increasing importance in ecological studies. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, in press (2026).

Oh YE, MG Midgley, ML McCormack, KV Beidler, M McCall, S Henderson, RK Braghiere, RP Phillips. Plant functional groups and root traits are linked to exudation rates of mature temperate trees. Functional Ecology, 40: 2202-2220 (2026).


Tran N, M Lo, MG Midgley, R Dybzinski, EC Segal, CH Cannon, CS Kua, CR Rollinson, CM Iversen, ML McCormack. Acquisitive root exploration strategies help maintain higher peak sap flux rates during summer drought, but more root biomass does not. New Phytologist, in press (2026).

Longmeyer J, N Dahal, N Medina, J Vandermeer. Ground-nesting ants as engineers of microbial landscapes. Myrmecological News 36: 73-90 (2026).

Medina N, L Schmitt, I Perfecto, J Vandermeer. Crown-to-ground: Above- and below-ground links mediated by arboreal ants and host tree modify soil aggregation scaling, infiltration, and chemistry. Applied Soil Ecology 220 (2026).


Medina N, K Patrick, P Kennedy, ML McCormack. Fun(gal) phenology: Journeying through life histories and community niches. International Mycorrhiza Society 6: 18-21 (2025).

Hou J, ML McCormack, GT Freschet, PB Reich, H Lambers, F Long, T Sun. Phenological patterns and factors affecting the lifespan of fine roots in forests. Tree Physiology, (2025).
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