Mary K. Firestone is a professor of soil microbiology in the Department of Environmental Studies, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
[5] Firestone's lab's interests include studying how carbon and nitrogen are processed in soil ecosystems.
In particular, her lab is interested in understanding carbon and nitrogen interactions between roots and soil microbes.
She is also interested in understanding how the structure of soil microbial communities controls nitrogen and carbon transformations such as nitrification, denitrification, and mineralization[1] She is also interested in understanding the biophysical properties and mechanisms of bacteria and plant interactions in soil environments and examining how the physical characteristics of soil matrices affect the growth and activity of soil microbes[1] Brodie EL, DeSantis TZ, Joyner DC, Baek SM, Larsen JT, Adersen GL, Hazen TC, Richardson PM, Herman DJ, Tokunaga TK, Wan JM, Firestone MK (2006).
Application of a high-density oligonucleotide microarray approach to study bacterial population dynamics during uranium reduction and reoxidation.
Measuring gross nitrogen mineralization, and nitrification by 15N isotopic pool dilution in intact soil cores.
Microbial biomass response to a rapid increase in water potential when dry soil is wetted.