How will ecosystems respond to global changes and what role can they play in mitigating climate change?
The Pellegrini lab, in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, focuses on understanding the fundamental science of carbon cycling and how it will respond to global change. To do so, we combine field experiments across the globe with models to understand the underpinning mechanisms controlling carbon storage and ecosystem functioning. We have three core areas of research:
Applied carbon science: Working to understand how changes in human behavior and ecosystem management can influence carbon sequestration in landscapes. This includes: Mapping carbon emissions using data syntheses and life cycle analyses of agricultural products. Developing carbon credit verification schemes for soil organic matter via state-of-the-art models. Optimising nature-based climate solution schemes in savanna-grasslands using experiments.
Applied ecology: Testing how ecosystems and their capacity to store carbon respond to shifting disturbance regimes. This includes: Remote sensing of forest recovery following wildfire in the United States using high-resolution imagery from the 1980s to present day. Peatland carbon emissions after fires and draining using data syntheses and remote sensing. Agricultural-driven depletion of soil organic matter in cultivated peatlands using a network of farming sites in the United Kingdom.
Fundamental ecology: Using field experiments to determine how ecosystems will respond to global change. Multi-site research network of fire-manipulation experiments to gain insight into the generalities and peculiarities of fire effects on ecosystem functioning. Plant functional trait measurements to link shifts in plant communities with changes in ecosystem functioning.
Research website: https://pellegriniecologylab.com/
