Shawnee Kasanke

Background

About Shawnee Kasanke

I am an ecologist with over 12 years of field and laboratory experience and a background in botany, mycology, lichenology, and ecological restoration. I specialize in remote field vegetation, lichen and fungal surveys, field collection and curation of plant material and soil samples, as well as downstream community analytics and molecular methods for microbial community and nutrient cycling assessment. My research primarily focuses on mutualistic interactions between plants, fungi, and bacteria. My MSc work (2016-2019) focused on primary succession patterns in the foreland of retreating cirque glaciers in the Arctic-alpine Brooks range with a focus on lichens as pioneer species. Currently, my PhD work focuses on interactions between free living nitrogen fixing bacteria (FLNF), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and host plants. Interactions between AMF, FLNF has broad application as soil health indicators and as a biological tool for increasing the sustainability of agricultural practices, improving the success of restoration, and maintaining and managing long-term soil health.