Member of the Faculty,
Biology, Graduate Center, CUNY
PhD Program in Earth and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School, CUNY
PhD, University of California
Office: SB E-220. Lab location SB D219
Telephone: (718) 997-3332
FAX: (718) 997-3299

Research Interests

Soil biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology: My primary research interests address the underlying soil processes that drive biogeochemical dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems with an emphasis on the movement of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and water. My research aims to advance our understanding of how biological, chemical, and physical factors interact and control the flux of these fundamental building blocks of life on process and ecosystem levels.

Current research interests include:

• Microbial community ecology of N and C cycling: How does the composition of soil microbial communities control soil N and C transformations including soil organic matter formation, N dynamics, and trace gas production
• Plant-microbial interactions: How do plant communities interact with soil microorganisms in regulating the C and N fluxes in soil
• Mechanisms of soil C stabilization: What are the critical physical, chemical, and biological factors that combine to influence the stabilization of C and N in soils? How does the nature of organic matter control pollutant dynamics in soils

Selected On-going Research Projects:

• Fate of pyrogenic carbon in the soil under increased atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Swiss NSF (2009-2011)
• Above versus belowground C and N allocation in temperate forest. DOE (2001-2011)
• Soil and microbial community control over black C turnover. CUNY and DOE (2008-2010)
• Microbial communities as biochemical inputs to forest soil humification processes. NSF (2004-2008)

Teaching Philosophy and Interests

A list of classes taught:

Undergraduate Classes

• EnSci 100: Our Planet in the 21rst Century: Challenges to Humanity: Introduction to the Environment
• Ensci 112/200: Our Changing Planet: Earth Systems Science
• Ensci 203: Environmental Microbiology
• Geol 318: Soils in the Environment
• Geol 370: Biogeochemistry

Graduate Classes

• Geology 768: Soils, Wetlands and Biodegradation
• Graduate Seminar 799: Current topics in Biogeochemistry
• Graduate Seminar 799: Molecular Methods in Environmental Microbiology

Selected Publications

Bird, J.A. and M.S. Torn. 2006. Fine roots versus needles: A comparison of 13C and 15N dynamics in a Ponderosa pine forest soil. Biogeochemistry 79:361-382.

Bird, J.A., van Kessel, C. and W.R. Horwath. 2003. Stabilization of 13C-carbon and immobilization of 15N-nitrogen from rice straw in humic fractions. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 67:806-815.

Torn, M.S., Davis, S., Bird J.A., Shaw, M.R. and M. Conrad. 2003. Automated analyses of 13C/12C ratios in CO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon for ecological and environmental applications. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 17:2575-2582.

Bird, J.A., M. Kleber, M.S. Torn. 2008. 13C and 15N stabilization dynamics in soil organic matter fractions during needle and fine root decomposition. Organic Geochemistry 39:465–477. ISI J. Impact Factor (2008) 2.11.

Fan, T.W.-M., J.A. Bird, E L. Brodie, A.N. Lane. 2009. 13C-Isotopomer-based metabolomics of microbial groups isolated from two forest soils. Metabolomics 5:108–122. DOI 10.1007/s11306-0080150-2. ISI J. Impact Factor (2008) 3.25.

Bird, J.A., van Kessel, C. and W.R. Horwath. 2002. Nitrogen dynamics in humic fractions under alternative straw management in temperate rice. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 66:478-488.

Bird, J.A., Pettygrove, G.S., and J.M. Eadie. 2000. The impact of waterfowl foraging on the decomposition of rice straw: mutual benefits for rice growers and waterfowl. J. Appl. Ecol. 37:728-741.