Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Liz Koziol

@lizkoziol.bsky.social

6.4K followers 610 following 98 posts

🦠 Mycorrhizal ecologist @ University of Kansas 🍄 Curator @invam.bsky.social 🌎 @mycobloom.bsky.social https://elizabethkoziol.wixsite.com/lizkoziol Prairies, AMF, microbial inoculants, restoration, conservation, sustainable ag, metabolites, NbS

elizabethkoziol.wixsite.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · Apr 4

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.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen @celialj.bsky.social · Apr 1

New episode of Up From Dust!

Soil health is all the rage. It's also big $$$. But what if the products you're buying aren't worth the dough?

Come learn about a kind of microbe everyone wants in their soil -- and the billion-dollar industry that sells it. www.kcur.org/2025-04-01/t...

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 1d

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.

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 5d

Monarch caterpillars feed on milkweeds and Colias on legumes like Chamaecrista and Senna in the summer. Late-flowering forbs help support their migrations as butterflies. Feeling so inspired by how AMF inoculation boosts forb and insect diversity in these plots across the season.

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 5d

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!

Monarch butterfly and a bumblebee on New England aster plant

Two bee species gathering flower on an aster stalk

Orange Sulphur and bee on New England aster. Colias species are dependent on legumes as catapillers, and we have a ton of senna in these plots.

2 2 23

Reposted by Liz Koziol

Martin A. Nuñez @martin-nunez.bsky.social · 17d

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/...

Invasive ectomycorrhizal fungi: belowground insights from South America

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are essential for nutrient cycling and plant symbiosis, yet their invasions remain understudied, particularly in South America. Large-scale forestry introductions have spr...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

2 20 53

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 21d

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...

FEMS Journals @femsjournals.bsky.social · 24d

🍄 Fungi to the rescue! Native AMF inoculation helps prairie restoration 🌱 by boosting native plant diversity and kicking weeds to the curb (even 7 years later). A long-term win for restoration ecology. 📄https://buff.ly/Uyl6f78 #FEMSMicrobiolLett #Mycorrhiza #Microbiology

7 24

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 22d

Almost all of our trials are started at restoration initiation. There was one trial where native plants were overseeded into brome monoculture w/o removal. We applied native AMF to native seedling roots — those seedlings established better and showed measurable seed-establishment effects nearby.

1 3

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 23d

Yes, it's moved from theory to practice. We take a few tablespoons of remnant soil, grow the AM fungi and other key microbes like Rhizobia in the lab, and have applied them in ~50 restoration experiments across the prairie range...with success. Now we’re figuring out how to make this work at scale.

2 3

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 23d

Exactly. Forestry has been using mycorrhizal inoculants as standard practice for decades. Time for managed grasslands to catch up.

And the lesson already learned from forestry? Native is key—non-native inoculants can wreck ecosystems.

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 23d

We pull AM fungi from nearby remnants sites, so they’re local/native.

As for convincing—the data speak: inoculated sites see better late successional seed recruitment and fewer weeds. We’ve shown this in field trials across the tallgrass range—IN to KS, TX to Canada.

1 2

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 23d

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

Fields tours of restoration projects at Shawnee mission Park

Plant geeks dorking out over a rare Eryngium native plant

The group saw lots of legumes during plot tours of this prairie remnant in NE Kansas

1 3 23

Reposted by Liz Koziol

INVAM @invam.bsky.social · Sep 12

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/...

Sierra Magazine Fall 2025: The Library of Spores

Behind the effort to grow mycorrhizal fungi for ecosystem restoration Photos by Arin Yoon Share This Article NESTLED AMID KANSAS’S rolling hills and …

digital.sierramagazine.org

2 5

Reposted by Liz Koziol

César Marín @cmarin.bsky.social · Aug 25

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/

10 14

Reposted by Liz Koziol

Journal of Applied Ecology @jappliedecology.bsky.social · Aug 21

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

Senior Editor for Journal of Applied Ecology - British Ecological Society

Join the editorial board on Journal of Applied Ecology! Apply by 07 Sep 2025.

bit.ly

8 6

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · Aug 18

This rare long-term evidence that restoring remnant belowground biodiversity can restore aboveground biodiversity. Moreover, fewer non-native plants means less management. 🌏

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · Aug 18

We added NATIVE arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to a grassland restoration and tracked outcomes. Seven years later we asked: do the benefits still last"?

We found AMF additions resulted in:
🌻Higher floristic quality
🌿Sustained plant diversity
🌾Strong weed suppression

1 1

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · Aug 18

Restorations can struggle long-term: weeds persist, grasses can dominate, and native diversity can stall or fade. Many native grassland species are highly dependent on soil microbes. Yet, soil microbes are rarely considered in large-scale restoration projects.

1 1

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · Aug 18

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 🧵

Seven years later: native AMF inoculation improves grassland successional stage, floristic quality index, and diversity, while suppressing weeds

Native mycorrhizal fungi enhance prairie restoration by boosting native plant diversity, supporting late-successional species, and reducing invasive plants

academic.oup.com

2 21 39

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · Aug 13

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. 🌾🦠🧪🌎🍄

Prairie restoration experiment showing nearly 90% dominance by the non-native foxtail grasses.

5 5 68

Reposted by Liz Koziol

Katie Stuble @holdenrestoration.bsky.social · Aug 8

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...

Career & Internships » HF&G

Holden Forests & Gardens is not just a great place to visit, it’s a wonderful place to work. Discover the opportunities now available for potential

holdenfg.org

21 18

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · Jul 31

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...

2 14 17

Reposted by Liz Koziol

prairieczar @prairieczar.bsky.social · Jul 23

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!

4 14 120

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · Jul 17

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

Five DnD miniatures lined up on a players map.

1 17

Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · Jul 8

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
🌎🧪🦠🍄🌱🌾

Grad student Myles who is 6'3, standing next to an absolutely giant 10 foot tall compass plant (Silphium lacinatum)

2 30

Reposted by Liz Koziol

Francis M. Martin @fmartin54.bsky.social · Jun 10

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...

Saprotrophy-to-symbiosis continuum in fungi

Fungi are one of the most diverse and ecologically important groups of organisms on Earth. They exhibit remarkable diversity in their ecological roles…

www.sciencedirect.com

12 21

Reposted by Liz Koziol

Oliver Bossdorf @bossdorf.bsky.social · Jun 8

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!

1 9 10