Yucheng Feng - profile information

My research group studies microbial processes that are important to environmental quality and soil productivity. One area of research focuses on the environmental fate and impact of organic pollutants and other emerging contaminants in soil and water. We seek to understand the mechanisms governing the bioavailability of soil-sorbed organic pollutants. Another area of research is to assess the role of soil microbial communities in maintaining soil productivity in agricultural and forestry ecosystems. We seek to establish the link between soil microbial community structure and ecosystem functions using culture-independent techniques coupled with stable isotope probing. A third area of research is bacterial source tracking of fecal contamination in surface waters. We use host specific markers to identify sources of fecal contamination so as to develop effective pollution control strategies.