Kate Lajtha is an ecologist known for her use of stable isotopes to examine biogeochemical cycling in soils.
[2][3] Lajtha was elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 2020, and recognized "for sustained impact on long-term soil carbon research and fundamental biogeochemical processes of soil carbon and nitrogen cycling.
[6] While she concluded that natural, abiotic factors were causing the death of these cacti, the general public was interested in the research because of the emblematic nature of saguaro cacti in the southwestern United States.
[7][8] More recently, Lajtha's research centers on nutrient cycling, especially nitrogen, in natural environments and those impacted by humans.
Andrews Experimental Forest in Oregon [14] where she leads a study entitled "Detrital Input and Removal Treatment (DIRT), through which undergraduate researchers can participate in research on the role of soils in capturing carbon from the atmosphere.