---

Dr. Lilleskov has applied a mixture of molecular genetic, physiological, stable isotopic, ecosystem analytic and statistical tools to investigate the relationship between ecosystem attributes and microbial community structure and function. His focus to date has been on mycorrhizal fungi, the dominant microbial functional group in many forest ecosystems. His recent work has focused on the mechanisms that structure mycorrhizal communities at the stand level - examining the spatial structure of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities and, through experimental lab and field studies, determining the effect of small-scale alteration of nutrient availability on mycorrhizal community dynamics.