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Yavitt, Joseph B
Cornell Faculty Member
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Joseph Yavitt is an ecosystem ecologist. He joined the Department of Natural Resources in 1988. His education focused on the ecology of forests, wetlands, and deserts. His research examines plant, soil, and microbial sciences.
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Affiliations
other Cornell affiliations
member of
- David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF) Faculty Fellow
Research
research overview
- I am an ecosystem ecologist. Researchers in this field study the components of ecosystem (structure) and seek to understand processes that link the components together (function). I am particularly interested in the diversity of plants and soil microorganisms. One aim is to understand relationships between plant litter decomposition and microbial production of greenhouse gases: methane and nitrogen oxides. I also pursue an independent area of research into the ecology of lowland tropical moist forests. One of our objectives is to understand how so many plant species co-exist and whether soil nutrient cycling helps maintain the diversity.
co-principal investigator on
- COLLABORATIVE PROJECT: BUILDING IMPROVED OPTIMIZED PARAMETER ESTIMATION ALGORITHMS TO IMPROVE METHANE AND NITROGEN FLUXES IN A CLIMATE MODEL awarded by DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 2011 - 2014
- COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LANDSCAPE AND REGIONAL SCALE STUDIES OF NITROGEN GAS FLUX awarded by NATL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 2009 - 2013
- IGERT: FROM MICROBE TO GLOBAL CLIMATE: RESEARCH AND TRAINING IN CROSS-SCALE BIOGEOCHEMISTRY awarded by NATL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 2011 - 2016
keywords
- Biogeochemistry
- Ecosystem ecology
- Microbial ecology
- Tropical Forest
- Wetlands
Publications
individual publications
-
academic article
- Active methanotrophs in two contrasting North American peatland ecosystems revealed using DNA-SIP. . Microbial Ecology. 63:438-445. 2012
- Earthworms, litter and soil carbon in a northern hardwood forest. Biogeochemistry. 2012
- Methanogen diversity and community composition in peatlands of the central to northern Appalachian Mountain region, North America.. Biogeochemistry. 109:117-131. 2012
- Partitioning of below ground C in young sugar maple forest. Plant and Soil. 2012
- Resource-based habitat associations in a neotropical liana community.. Journal of Ecology. 100:1174-1182. 2012
- Seasonal Changes in Methanogenesis and Methanogenic Community in Three Peatlands, New York State.. Frontiers in Microbiology. 3:81. 2012
- Sensitivity of wetland methane emissions to model assumptions: application and model testing against site observations. Biogeosciences. 9:2793-2819. 2012
- Tropical tree seedling growth responses to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium addition. . Journal of Ecology. 100:309-316. 2012
- Variable responses of lowland tropical forest nutrient status to fertilization and litter manipulation.. Ecosystems. 15:387-400. 2012
- Anaerobic oxidation of methane: an underappreciated aspect of methane cycling in peatland ecosystems? . Biogeosciences. 7:7945-7983. 2011
- Effects of exotic earthworms on bacterial and fungal abundance in northern hardwood forest, central New York, USA.. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 43:2135-2141. 2011
- Methanoregula boonei gen. nov., sp. nov., an acidiphilic methanogen isolated from an acidic peat bog. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 61:45-52. 2011
- Potassium, phosphorus, or nitrogen limit root allocation, tree growth, or litter production in a lowland tropical forest. Ecology. 92:1616-1625. 2011
- Sensitivity of wetland methane emissions to model assumptions: application and model testing against site observations. Biogeosciences Discussions. 8:6095-6160. 2011
- Soil fertility and fine root dynamics in response to 4 years of nutrient (N, P, K) fertilization in a lowland tropical moist forest, Panama. Austral Ecology. 36:433-445. 2011
- Transport of carbon and nitrogen between litter and soil organic matter in a northern hardwood forest. Ecosystems. 14:326-340. 2011
- Biogeochemistry: Cryptic wetlands. Nature Geoscience. 3:749-750. 2010
- Diversity and community structure of Archaea inhabiting the rhizoplane of two contrasting plants from an acidic bog.. Microbial Ecology. 59:757-767. 2010
- Temperate wetland methanogenesis: the importance of vegetation type and root ethanol production. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 74:317-325. 2010
- Tropical vine growth and the effects on forest succession: A review of the ecology and management of tropical climbing plants . Botanical Review. 77:11-30. 2010
- Methanosphaerula palustris gen. nov., sp. nov., a hydrogenotrophic methanogen isolated from a minerotrophic fen peatland. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 59:928-935. 2009
- Patterns of late-season photosynthate movement in sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh) saplings.. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 39:2294-2298. 2009
- Spatial heterogeneity of soil chemical properties in a lowland tropical moist forest, Panama. Australian Journal of Soil Research. 47:674-687. 2009
- Archaeal community in a minerotrophic fen and terminal restriction length polymorphism-directed isolation of a novel hydrogenotrophic methanogen. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 74:2059-2068. 2008
- Characterization of the archaeal community in a minerotrophic fen and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism-directed isolation of a novel hydrogeno-tropic methanogen. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 74:2059-2068. 2008
- Microbially available carbon in buried riparian soils in a glaciated landscape. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 40:85-96. 2008
- Multiple nutrients limit litterfall and decomposition in a tropical forest. Ecology Letters. 1:35-43. 2008
- Seedling growth responses to water and nutrient augmentation in the understory of a lowland moist forest, Panama. Journal of Tropical Ecology. 24:19-26. 2008
- Solving the global nitrogen problem: It's a gas. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 6:199-206. 2008
- Evidence for anaerobic CH4 oxidation in freshwater peatlands. Geomicrobiology Journal. 24:583-597. 2007
- Mercury cycling in litter and soil in different forest types in the Adirondack Region, New York, USA. Ecological Applications. 17:1341-1351. 2007
- Mercury cycling in litter and soil in different forest types in the Adirondack region, New York, USA. Ecological Applications. 17:1341-1351. 2007
- Microbal CO2 production, CH4 dynamics and nitrogen in a wetland soil (New York State, USA) associated with three plant species( Typha, Lythrum, Phalaris). European Journal of Soil Science. 58:1493-1505. 2007
- Soil nutrients influence spatial distributions of tropical tree species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 17:1341-1351. 2007
- Soil-methanogen interactions in two peatlands(bog, fen) in central New York State. Geomicrobiology Journal. 24:247-259. 2007
- A multi-year perspective on methane cycling in a shallow peat fen in central New York State. Wetlands. 26:20-29. 2006
- Characterization of acid-tolerant H2/CO2-utilizing methanogenic enrichment cultures from an acidic peat bog in New York State. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 57:206-216. 2006
- Control of organic carbon mineralization by alternative electron acceptors in four peatlands, central New York State. Wetlands. 26:917-926. 2006
- Effects of soil management practices on soil fertility measurements on Agave tequilana planations in Western Central Mexico. Soil and Tillage Research. 87:80-88. 2006
- Impacts of Lythrum salicaria invasion on plant community and soil properties in two wetlands in central New York, USA. Canadian Journal of Botany. 84:477-484. 2006
- Isolation of a novel acidiphilic methanogen from an acidic peat bog. Nature. 442:192-194. 2006
- Methanogenesis and methanogen diversity in three peatland types of the discontinuous permafrost zone, boreal western continental Canada. Geomicrobiology Journal. 23:864-869. 2006
- Patterns of litter disappearance in a northern hardwood forest invaded by exotic earthworms. Ecological Applications. 16:154-166. 2006
- Solutes and soil in and around an in-stream wetland on the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, USA. Wetlands. 26:376-384. 2006
- Spatial and temporal dynamics of exotic earthworm communities along incation fronts in a temperate hardwood forest in South-Central New York. Biological Invasions. 8:533-564. 2006
- Spatial and temporal dynamics of exotic earthworm communities along invasion fronts in a temperate hardwood forest in South-Central New York (USA). Biological Invasions. 00:1-12. 2006
- An in situ Approach for Measuring Root-Associated Respiration and Nitrate Uptake of Forest Trees. Plant and Soil. 272:125-131. 2005
- Soil chemistry versus environmental controls on production of CH4 and CO2 in northern peatlands. European Journal of Soil Science. 56:169-178. 2005
- Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi across a fragmented forest in Panama: insular spore communities differ from mainland communities. Oecologia. 141:687-700. 2004
- Linking belowground carbon allocation to anaerobic CH4 and CO2 production in a forested peatland, New York State. Geomicrobiology Journal. 21:445-455. 2004
- Methanogenesis in McLean Bog, an acidic peat bog in upstate New York: stimulation by H2/CO2 in the presence of rifampicin, or by low concentrations of acetate. Geomicrobiology Journal. 21:433-443. 2004
- Methanotrophic activity, abundance, and diversity in forested swamp pools: Spatiotemporal dynamics and influences on methane fluxes. Geomicrobiology Journal. 21:257-271. 2004
- Seasonal drought and dry-season irrigation influence leaf-litter nutrients and soil enzymes in a moist, lowland forest in Panama. Austral Ecology. 29:177-188. 2004
- Botanical composition of peat and degree of peat decomposition in three temperate peatlands. Ecoscience. 10:85-95. 2003
- Early stages of decay of Lythrum salicaria L. and Typha latifolia L. in a standing dead-position. Aquatic Biology. 75:45-57. 2003
- Environmental control of fine root dynamics in a northern hardwood forest. Global Change Biology. 9:670-679. 2003
- Methane biogeochemistry and methanogen communities in two northern peatland ecosystems, New York State. Geomicrobiology Journal. 20:563-577. 2003
- Microbial activity and functional composition among northern peatland ecosystems. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 35:591-602. 2003
- Charge characteristics of soil in a lowland tropical moist forest in Panama in response to dry-season irrigation. Australian Journal of Soil Research. 40:269-281. 2002
- Control of methane metabolism in a forested northern wetland, New York State, by aeration, substrates, and peat size fractions. Geomicrobiology Journal. 19:293-315. 2002
- Influence of Ni, Co, Fe, and Na additions on methane production in Sphagnum-dominated northern peatlands. Biogeochemistry. 52:133-153. 2001
- Seasonal drought and irrigation effects on fine root dynamics in a tropical moist forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Biotropica. 33:421-434. 2001
- Controls on microbial production of methane and carbon dioxide in three Sphagnum-dominated peatland ecosystems as revealed by a reciprocal field peat transplant experiment. Geomicrobiology Journal. 17:61-88. 2000
- Nutrient dynamics of soil derived from different parent material on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Biotropica. 32:198-207. 2000
- Phenol oxidase activity in peatlands in New York State: Responses to summer drought and peat type. Wetlands. 20:416-421. 2000
- Seasonal patterns and controls on methane and carbon dioixde fluxes in forested swamp pools. Geomicrobiology Journal. 16:325-331. 1999
- Aspects of methane flow from sediment through emergent cattail (Typha latifolia) plants. New Phytologist. 139:495-503. 1998
- Consumption of atmospheric isoprene in a temperate forest soil. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 64:172-177. 1998
- Cupric oxide oxidation products of northern peat and peat-forming plants. Canadian Journal of Botany. 76:51-62. 1998
- Tetrazolium reduction in acidic Sphagnum-derived peat - a poor measure of terminal carbon mineralization. Wetlands. 18:79-83. 1998
- Consumption of atmospheric isoprene in soil. Geophysical Research Letters. 24:2379-2382. 1997
- Land-use effects on soil methane and carbon dioxide fluxes in forests near Ithaca, New York. Ecoscience. 4:214-222. 1997
- Methane and carbon dioxide dynamics in Typha latifolia L. wetlands in central New York State. Wetlands. 17:394-406. 1997
- Production of methane and carbon dioxide in peatland ecosystems across North America: Effects of temperature, aeration and organic chemistry of peat. Geomicrobiology Journal. 14:299-316. 1997
- Peat and solution chemistry responses to CaCO3 application in wetlands next to Woods Lake New York. Biogeochemistry. 32:245-263. 1996
- Processes and mechanisms controlling consumption of CFC-11 and CFC- 12 by peat from a conifer-swamp and black spruce -tamarack bog in New York State. Chemosphere. 32:759-768. 1996
- Temporal patterns of soil nutrients in a Panamanian moist forest revealed by ion-exchange resin and experimental irrigation. Plant and Soil. 183:117-129. 1996
- The Experimental Watershed Liming Study: comparison of lake/watershed base neutralization strategies. Biogeochemistry. 32:143-174. 1996
- Watershed liming effects on the forest floor N cycle. Biogeochemistry. 32:221-244. 1996
- Gas exchange characteristic of Typha latifolia L. from nine sites across North America. Aquatic Botany. 49:203-215. 1995
- Methane and carbon dioxide dynamics of a northern hardwood ecosystem. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 59:796-804. 1995
- Methane emission to the atmosphere from emergent cattail (Typha latifolia L.) plants. Tellus. 47B:521-534. 1995
- The canopy gap regime in a neotropical secondary forest in Panama. Journal of Tropical Ecology. 11:391-402. 1995
- Beaver impoundments in temperate forests as sources of atmospheric CO2. Geophysical Research Letters. 21:995-998. 1994
- Carbon dynamics in Appalachian peatlands of West Virginia and Western Maryland. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. 77:271-290. 1994
- Global climate change and peatland carbon balance: An overview. Journal of the Czech Geological Society. 39:330-334. 1994
- Peatlands and global climate change: insights from comparative studies of sites situated along a latitudinal gradient. Wetlands. 14:229-238. 1994
- CO2 and CH4 dynamics of a Sphagnum-dominated peatland in West Virginia. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 7:259-274. 1993
- Methane fluxes in a northern hardwood forest ecosystem in relation to acid precipitation. Chemosphere. 26:721-730. 1993
- Soil nutrient dynamics in response to irrigation of a Panamanian tropical moist forest. Biogeochemistry. 19:1-25. 1993
- An evaluation of the closed-chamber method for estimating methane efflux from aquatic plants. Tellus. 44B:63-71. 1992
- Methane fluxes, concentrations, and production in two Adirondack beaver impoundments. Limnology and Oceanography. 37:1057-1066. 1992
- Assessment of site differences in anaerobic carbon mineralization using reciprocal peat transplants. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 23:1093-1095. 1991
- Water and nitrogen outflow from lodgepole pine forest after two levels of tree mortality. Forest Ecology and Management. 46:215-225. 1991
- Liming effects on some chemical and biological parameters of the soils in an Adirondack (NY) forested catchment. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. 54:529-544. 1990
- Methane consumption in decomposing Sphagnum-derived peat. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 22:441-447. 1990
- Methane consumption in two temperate forest soils. Biogeochemistry. 9:39-52. 1990
- Methane fluxes in forest and wetland soils, beaver ponds and low-order streams of a temperate forest ecosystem. Journal of Geophysical Research. 95:22463-22474. 1990
- Methane production and sulfate reduction in two Appalachian peatlands. Biogeochemistry. 10:81-104. 1990
- Methane production in contrasting peatland sites: Responses to substrate quality and to sulfate reduction. Geomicrobiology Journal. 8:27-46. 1990
- Aboveground net primary production at Big Run Bog, West Virginia. Castanea. 45:209-216. 1989
- Nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur properties of some forest soils on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Biotropica. 20:2-10. 1988
- Potential methane production and methane oxidation rates in peatland ecosystems of the Appalachian Mountains, United States. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 2:253-268. 1988
- Precipitation and throughfall chemistry in Pinus contorta spp. latifolia ecosystems, southeastern Wyoming. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 18:337-345. 1988
- Soil solution chemistry in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ssp. latifolia) ecosystems, southeastern Wyoming, USA. Biogeochemistry. 6:91-118. 1988
- Control of carbon mineralization to CH4 and CO2 in anaerobic, Sphagnum-derived peat from Big Run Bog, West Virginia. Biogeochemistry. 4:141-157. 1987
- Differences in leaf structure, chlorophyll and nutrients for the understory tree, Asimina triloba. American Journal of Botany. 74:1487-1491. 1987
- Litter decay and leaching from the forest floor in Pinus contorta (Lodgepole pine) ecosystems. Journal of Ecology. 74:525-545. 1986
- Mountain pine beetle out-breaks in the central Rocky Mountains: effects on primary productivity?. American Naturalist. 127:484-494. 1986
- Chemical composition of interstitial water in decaying lodgepole pine bole wood. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 15:1149-1153. 1985
- The nitrogen cycle in lodgepole pine forest, southeastern Wyoming. Biogeochemistry. 1:257-275. 1985
- An experimental analysis of solution chemistry in a lodgepole pine forest floor. Oikos: A Journal of Ecology. 43:222-234. 1984
- Influence of microclimate and growth form on plant temperatures of early spring species in a high elevation prairie. American Midland Naturalist. 109:380-389. 1983
- Spatial patterns of mesquite and associated herbaceous species in an Arizona desert grassland. American Midland Naturalist. 109:89-93. 1983
- Loss of mass and nutrient changes of decaying woody roots in lodgepole pine forests, southeastern Wyoming. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 12:745-752. 1982
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booksection
- Bog Ecology 1995
- Production of methane and nitrous oxide by organic soils within a northern hardwood forest ecosystem 1993
- Production of methane and nitrous oxide by organic soils within a northern hardwood forest ecosystem 1993
- Methane, Biogeochemical Cycle. Vol. 3. 1992
- Sulfur inputs may affect organic carbon balance of Sphagnum-dominated wetlands 1991
- Controls of soil solution chemistry in lodgepole pine forest ecosystems 1985
- Controls of soil solution chemistry in lodgepole pine forest ecosystems, Wyoming, USA 1985
- Organic chemistry of the soil solution during snowmelt leaching in Pinus contorta forest ecosystem 1985
- Organic chemistry of the soil solution during snowmelt leaching in Pinus contorta forest ecosystems, Wyoming, USA 1985
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conference paper
- Wetlands may change tallgrass prairie from a sink to a source for atmospheric methane. Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conference. 137-141. 1995
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document part
- Simulation of methane emissions from tropical wetlands and rice paddies in the Community Land Model (CLM4)-CN: Introduction and preliminary results 2010
- Characterization of microbial community structure in Northern peatlands in Tompkins County, NY 2002
- Chemical and biological control of mercury cycling in upland, wetland and lake ecosystems in the Adirondack region of New York. 105. 2002
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review
- The Enigma of Soil. 758. 2010
featured in archived article
Teaching
teaching overview
- My teaching goals are; (1) to help students learn science (as a noun, and as a verb), (2) to show students how science is used in the management of natural resources and environmental problems, and (3) to ensure students in NTRES, SES, and SNES majors choose a broad-based curriculum that encompasses biological, physical, and social sciences.
teaching activities
- NTRES-2010: Environmental Conservation - Spring 2013
- NTRES-4870: Undergraduate Research Methods - Spring 2013
- NTRES-7900: Graduate-Level Thesis Research - Spring 2013
- NTRES-8900: Master's Thesis Research - Spring 2013
- NTRES-9900: Doctoral-Level Thesis Research - Spring 2013
- EAS-3030: Introduction to Biogeochemistry - Fall 2012
- NTRES-3030: Introduction to Biogeochemistry - Fall 2012
- NTRES-3220: Global Ecology and Management - Fall 2012
- NTRES-4870: Undergraduate Research Methods - Fall 2012
- NTRES-4991: Honors Research in Natural Resources - Fall 2012
- NTRES-7900: Graduate-Level Thesis Research - Fall 2012
- NTRES-8900: Master's Thesis Research - Fall 2012
- NTRES-9900: Doctoral-Level Thesis Research - Fall 2012
- NTRES-2010: Environmental Conservation - Spring 2012
- NTRES-4870: Undergraduate Research Methods - Spring 2012
- NTRES-7900: Graduate-Level Thesis Research - Spring 2012
- NTRES-8900: Master's Thesis Research - Spring 2012
- NTRES-9900: Doctoral-Level Thesis Research - Spring 2012
- EAS-3030: Introduction to Biogeochemistry - Fall 2011
- NTRES-3030: Introduction to Biogeochemistry - Fall 2011
- NTRES-3220: Global Ecology and Management - Fall 2011
- NTRES-4991: Honors Research in Natural Resources - Fall 2011
- NTRES-7900: Graduate-Level Thesis Research - Fall 2011
- NTRES-8900: Master's Thesis Research - Fall 2011
- NTRES-9900: Doctoral-Level Thesis Research - Fall 2011
Service
reviewer or editor for
- Canada NSERC Discovery Grant Ecology & Evolution
- DOE Microbial Ecology & Biogeochemistry Subsurface Research Panel
- Ecology
- Ecology, Ecological Applications, Environmental Microbiology, Environmental Science and Technology, Geomicrobiology Journal, Global Change Biology, ISME Microbial Ecology, Science of the Total Environment, Plant Ecology
- Geomicrobiology Journal
- National Science Foundation
- Soil Biology & Biochemistry
Background
education and training
- Ph.D. in, University of Wyoming 1984
- M.S. in, University of Arizona 1979
- B.A. in, University of California, Santa Barbara 1977
awards and honors
Other
college
- CALS
research keyword
- Biogeochemistry
- Ecosystem ecology
- Microbial ecology
- Tropical Forest
- Wetlands
name prefix
- Dr.