Research summary
Lowland neotropical rainforests—found from Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil—store vast amounts of carbon and support immense biodiversity. But their complex nutrient cycles—especially the role of symbiotic microorganisms in tropical plants—are poorly understood. As Canada Research Chair in Genomics and Metabolomics of Symbiosis Between Tropical Plants and Microbes, Dr. Juan Carlos Villarreal Aguilar is shedding light on how these microbial interactions influence nutrient dynamics in tropical ecosystems, especially in the face of climate change.
Villarreal Aguilar and his research team are studying cycads, a common legume found in neotropical rainforests. They are exploring the contribution of cycad leaf microbes to local nitrogen budgets and ecosystem health. Ultimately, their research may help us understand how climate change and human activity could alter the ability of tropical forests to regulate global carbon and nutrient cycles.