Rich Phillips
@richphillipslab.bsky.social
Dad, wilderness wanderer, soil searcher, biogeochemical cyclist
https://phillipslab.bio.indiana.edu/
https://phillipslab.bio.indiana.edu/
Even though transience is part of lab culture, it’s still hard to say goodbye. This summer we bid adieu to long-time lab manager Elizabeth Huenupi, long-time tech Zoe Worman & (sort of) long-time post-doc Daniel Beverly. We will miss (but not forget) you. You’ll bring awesomeness to your next stops!
August 19, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Even though transience is part of lab culture, it’s still hard to say goodbye. This summer we bid adieu to long-time lab manager Elizabeth Huenupi, long-time tech Zoe Worman & (sort of) long-time post-doc Daniel Beverly. We will miss (but not forget) you. You’ll bring awesomeness to your next stops!
🚨Interested in plants, microbes & biogeochemistry? If yes, ya'll have 2d to submit your abstract to our session "B088: The Effect of Plant Communities and Their Microbial Associations on Soil Biogeochemistry" agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/b/pa… Convened by @carboncaitlin Amelia Fitch & me
two cartoon characters are standing next to each other and the words oh dear are visible
ALT: two cartoon characters are standing next to each other and the words oh dear are visible
media.tenor.com
July 28, 2025 at 5:31 PM
🚨Interested in plants, microbes & biogeochemistry? If yes, ya'll have 2d to submit your abstract to our session "B088: The Effect of Plant Communities and Their Microbial Associations on Soil Biogeochemistry" agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/b/pa… Convened by @carboncaitlin Amelia Fitch & me
Does a plane 1/3 of rhizosphere scientists constitute a rhizoplane? So long Edinburgh - thanks for a great week!! #Rhizosphere6
June 20, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Does a plane 1/3 of rhizosphere scientists constitute a rhizoplane? So long Edinburgh - thanks for a great week!! #Rhizosphere6
Exciting new work from the amazin’ @BeidlerKatilyn, @UMNFuN and others. Much of the OM that “sticks” to minerals comes from dead fungi. But what controls formation rates: input chemistry, mineral reactivity or microbes involved in hyphal decay? authors.elsevier.com/c/1l7Zt8g13f...
authors.elsevier.com
May 21, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Exciting new work from the amazin’ @BeidlerKatilyn, @UMNFuN and others. Much of the OM that “sticks” to minerals comes from dead fungi. But what controls formation rates: input chemistry, mineral reactivity or microbes involved in hyphal decay? authors.elsevier.com/c/1l7Zt8g13f...
This took a minute but excited to share it now link.springer.com/10.1007/s004... Trees get N by resorbing from foliage & foraging in soil - but are the two coordinated? We tested hypotheses about relationships between resorption & root production for 12 spp in mature forests & 9 spp in a garden.
Assessing carbon and nitrogen economics in temperate forests through the relationship between foliar nutrient resorption and root production - Oecologia
Plants both respond to and influence their immediate soil environment, which can yield divergent predictions regarding plant economics and trait coordination. Tree species with high foliar nitrogen (N...
link.springer.com
May 6, 2025 at 12:28 AM
This took a minute but excited to share it now link.springer.com/10.1007/s004... Trees get N by resorbing from foliage & foraging in soil - but are the two coordinated? We tested hypotheses about relationships between resorption & root production for 12 spp in mature forests & 9 spp in a garden.
Today, oh today, I did something indeed. Read The Lorax to second graders, who were grateful I’d agreed.
They sat on the floor in rapt attention, as we traveled to Thneedville, belief in suspension
Smiles became frowns as the tale turned dark, but when we reached the end, I could see the spark!
They sat on the floor in rapt attention, as we traveled to Thneedville, belief in suspension
Smiles became frowns as the tale turned dark, but when we reached the end, I could see the spark!
March 14, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Today, oh today, I did something indeed. Read The Lorax to second graders, who were grateful I’d agreed.
They sat on the floor in rapt attention, as we traveled to Thneedville, belief in suspension
Smiles became frowns as the tale turned dark, but when we reached the end, I could see the spark!
They sat on the floor in rapt attention, as we traveled to Thneedville, belief in suspension
Smiles became frowns as the tale turned dark, but when we reached the end, I could see the spark!
Reposted by Rich Phillips
NSF employees coordinate grant programs, organize and run panels that award grants, and work with awardees to ensure progress, among other functions. Reducing staffing at NSF will not make it more efficient, it will further burden already overburdened employees, making NSF less efficient.
NEW: NSF confirmed that they fired 168 employees today, out of their staff of ~1,500 feds.
This includes some people who'd finished their 1-year probationary periods, which were extended to 2-years last month without explanation. More to come.
This includes some people who'd finished their 1-year probationary periods, which were extended to 2-years last month without explanation. More to come.
February 18, 2025 at 5:49 PM
NSF employees coordinate grant programs, organize and run panels that award grants, and work with awardees to ensure progress, among other functions. Reducing staffing at NSF will not make it more efficient, it will further burden already overburdened employees, making NSF less efficient.
Reposted by Rich Phillips
Hmm, this seems prescient (in last week’s Science)
January 9, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Hmm, this seems prescient (in last week’s Science)
Agriculture has a N problem. N fuels growth, but too much N pollutes air & water. Here we argue for focusing on internal microbial N cycling - and not merely N inputs. Fun collaboration w/ @stuartsoil.bsky.social, @andreajilling.bsky.social & several others. authors.elsevier.com/c/1kIZ79C~Iu...
authors.elsevier.com
December 20, 2024 at 4:45 PM
Agriculture has a N problem. N fuels growth, but too much N pollutes air & water. Here we argue for focusing on internal microbial N cycling - and not merely N inputs. Fun collaboration w/ @stuartsoil.bsky.social, @andreajilling.bsky.social & several others. authors.elsevier.com/c/1kIZ79C~Iu...
Reposted by Rich Phillips
Come visit us in Vienna! Submit your abstract to the EGU session BG3.13: Mycorrhizal fungi in forest ecosystems. I am happy to be working with Matthias Mayer and Eva Demullier to create an unforgettable session!
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
Session BG3.13
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org
December 3, 2024 at 2:04 PM
Come visit us in Vienna! Submit your abstract to the EGU session BG3.13: Mycorrhizal fungi in forest ecosystems. I am happy to be working with Matthias Mayer and Eva Demullier to create an unforgettable session!
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
Thanks #AGU24 algorithm for suggesting that I connect next week w/ @benbondlamberty.bsky.social & Nate McDowell. Any chance we can use some of our registration fees to buy a few drinks?
December 3, 2024 at 1:59 PM
Thanks #AGU24 algorithm for suggesting that I connect next week w/ @benbondlamberty.bsky.social & Nate McDowell. Any chance we can use some of our registration fees to buy a few drinks?
Thought-provoking Tansley about source v sink limitation of tree growth by Trugman & L Anderegg. Strong evidence both are important, not unlike the age-old Q of bottom up v top down controls on energy-nutrient flows. For C cyclists, certainly worth a read
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Source vs sink limitations on tree growth: from physiological mechanisms to evolutionary constraints and terrestrial carbon cycle implications
The potential for widespread sink-limited plant growth has received increasing attention in the literature in the past few years. Despite recent evidence for sink limitations to plant growth, there a...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 2, 2024 at 12:08 PM
Thought-provoking Tansley about source v sink limitation of tree growth by Trugman & L Anderegg. Strong evidence both are important, not unlike the age-old Q of bottom up v top down controls on energy-nutrient flows. For C cyclists, certainly worth a read
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Rich Phillips
Welcome to WA on Bluesky as requested by you xx
'Breathing Space'
by Janis Goodman
'Breathing Space'
by Janis Goodman
November 24, 2024 at 11:31 AM
Welcome to WA on Bluesky as requested by you xx
'Breathing Space'
by Janis Goodman
'Breathing Space'
by Janis Goodman
Reposted by Rich Phillips
Buried paleosols hold a LOT of #Carbon. What happens when they are exposed? McMurtry et al. show “paleosols defy expectations of C content and reactivity”
Getting to the root of the problem: Soil carbon and microbial response... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Getting to the root of the problem: Soil carbon and microbial response... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Getting to the root of the problem: Soil carbon and microbial responses to root inputs within a buried paleosol along an eroding hillslope in southwestern Nebraska, USA
Large quantities of soil carbon (C) can persist within paleosols for millennia due to burial and subsequent isolation from plant-derived inputs, atmos…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 23, 2024 at 10:22 PM
Buried paleosols hold a LOT of #Carbon. What happens when they are exposed? McMurtry et al. show “paleosols defy expectations of C content and reactivity”
Getting to the root of the problem: Soil carbon and microbial response... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Getting to the root of the problem: Soil carbon and microbial response... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Rich Phillips
Do you study how microbial growth and death drive soil organic matter cycling?
Submit your work to our #EGU25 session SSS4.10/BG6.7: meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
👉 Travel support: Dec 1st
👉 Abstracts due: Jan 15th
Submit your work to our #EGU25 session SSS4.10/BG6.7: meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
👉 Travel support: Dec 1st
👉 Abstracts due: Jan 15th
November 17, 2024 at 10:43 PM
Do you study how microbial growth and death drive soil organic matter cycling?
Submit your work to our #EGU25 session SSS4.10/BG6.7: meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
👉 Travel support: Dec 1st
👉 Abstracts due: Jan 15th
Submit your work to our #EGU25 session SSS4.10/BG6.7: meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...
👉 Travel support: Dec 1st
👉 Abstracts due: Jan 15th
Reposted by Rich Phillips
I started this in 2017, but this forever paper is finally done! Eastern US forests are shifting to more mesic species and the climate is expected to get drier. The two combined indicate drought will have a bigger impact in the carbon budget in the future. 🧪🌳
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Asymmetric effects of hydroclimate extremes on eastern US tree growth: Implications on current demographic shifts and climate variability
In the eastern United States, land use decisions have impacted what species are present in forests. The climate of the region has also changed and is expected to continue to warm and produce stronger....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 20, 2024 at 8:49 PM
I started this in 2017, but this forever paper is finally done! Eastern US forests are shifting to more mesic species and the climate is expected to get drier. The two combined indicate drought will have a bigger impact in the carbon budget in the future. 🧪🌳
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Important question (on my first day here). Greatest song referencing blue sky/skies:
1) Blue Sky (Allman Bros)
2) Mr Blue Sky (ELO)
3 Goodbye Blue Sky (Floyd)
1) Blue Sky (Allman Bros)
2) Mr Blue Sky (ELO)
3 Goodbye Blue Sky (Floyd)
November 16, 2024 at 5:39 PM
Important question (on my first day here). Greatest song referencing blue sky/skies:
1) Blue Sky (Allman Bros)
2) Mr Blue Sky (ELO)
3 Goodbye Blue Sky (Floyd)
1) Blue Sky (Allman Bros)
2) Mr Blue Sky (ELO)
3 Goodbye Blue Sky (Floyd)
Aha - a useful for role for AI finally! But who funded the research? How do we know the peer reviewers were not bots? And who wrote the training algorithms for the LLM GPT-4 Turbo?
Durably reducing conspiracy beliefs through dialogues with AI | Science
Durably reducing conspiracy beliefs through dialogues with AI | Science
November 17, 2024 at 8:45 PM
Aha - a useful for role for AI finally! But who funded the research? How do we know the peer reviewers were not bots? And who wrote the training algorithms for the LLM GPT-4 Turbo?
Durably reducing conspiracy beliefs through dialogues with AI | Science
Durably reducing conspiracy beliefs through dialogues with AI | Science
Tree-myco types differ in nutrient use traits but do they differ in hydraulic traits? Biogeographic patterns of dominance (AM in tropics, ECM in boreal) often track precipitation gradients, which could lead to diffs in drought tolerance traits
November 17, 2024 at 8:45 PM
Tree-myco types differ in nutrient use traits but do they differ in hydraulic traits? Biogeographic patterns of dominance (AM in tropics, ECM in boreal) often track precipitation gradients, which could lead to diffs in drought tolerance traits
With @ICOM_12 and @ESA2024 being 8 time zones apart (but during the same week), the steady stream of content has been fun to follow. Though having a bit of FOMO too…#ICOM2024
November 17, 2024 at 8:45 PM
With @ICOM_12 and @ESA2024 being 8 time zones apart (but during the same week), the steady stream of content has been fun to follow. Though having a bit of FOMO too…#ICOM2024
Fun times in Btown celebrating three birthdays (7/29), two Kimberly Ann(e)s, three of my fav women in science and of course, friends and family @rosvall_lab @Novick_Lab @DrBioGC @JPWrightEcology
November 17, 2024 at 8:45 PM
Fun times in Btown celebrating three birthdays (7/29), two Kimberly Ann(e)s, three of my fav women in science and of course, friends and family @rosvall_lab @Novick_Lab @DrBioGC @JPWrightEcology
Pt 1 of summer tour - Germany is in the books! Delightful time & fun convos abt roots, fungi, soils, music, art, politics & bier w/ Ina Meier lab (Hamburg), #ISRR24 attendees & @Eisenhauerlab @iDiv (Leipzig - the birthplace of myco fungi!). Special thx to Ina & Nico. On to Berlin
November 17, 2024 at 8:45 PM
Pt 1 of summer tour - Germany is in the books! Delightful time & fun convos abt roots, fungi, soils, music, art, politics & bier w/ Ina Meier lab (Hamburg), #ISRR24 attendees & @Eisenhauerlab @iDiv (Leipzig - the birthplace of myco fungi!). Special thx to Ina & Nico. On to Berlin
Great leaders lead to great science. Tim Fahey was a tremendous scholar teacher, mentor & colleague, whose impact on our field was profound. Yesterday, we celebrated his career with stories, pics and hike @HubbardBrookNH. While Tim will be missed, his legacy lives on #FaheyFest
November 17, 2024 at 8:44 PM
Great leaders lead to great science. Tim Fahey was a tremendous scholar teacher, mentor & colleague, whose impact on our field was profound. Yesterday, we celebrated his career with stories, pics and hike @HubbardBrookNH. While Tim will be missed, his legacy lives on #FaheyFest