Research Interests
Prof. Yang holds appointments in Plant Biology and Geology. Her research is in terrestrial biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology with a focus on determining rates and drivers of chemical transformations in the environment, and particularly in soils. Her group investigates controls on greenhouse gas emissions, soil nitrogen and carbon dynamics, and the coupling of biogeochemical cycles beyond carbon and nitrogen. The group also develops novel methodological approaches using tracer and natural abundance stable isotope techniques. See link below for a detailed web site.
Courses Taught
- GEOL/IB 488: Environmental Stable Isotopes
- IB 100: Biology in Today's World
- IB 452: Ecosystem Ecology
Additional Campus Affiliations
Associate Professor, Plant Biology
Affiliate, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
Associate Professor, Center for Digital Agriculture, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)
Recent Publications
Burnham, M. B., Simon, S. J., Lee, D. K., Kent, A. D., DeLucia, E. H., & Yang, W. H. (2022). Intra- and inter-annual variability of nitrification in the rhizosphere of field-grown bioenergy sorghum. GCB Bioenergy, 14(3), 393-410. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12917
Eddy, W. C., & Yang, W. H. (2022). Improvements in soil health and soil carbon sequestration by an agroforestry for food production system. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 333, [107945]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2022.107945
Edwards, J. D., Cook, A. M., Yannarell, A. C., & Yang, W. (2022). Accelerated gross nitrogen cycling following garlic mustard invasion is linked with abiotic and biotic changes to soils. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 5, [1050542]. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2022.1050542
Edwards, J. D., Yang, W. H., & Yannarell, A. C. (2022). Soil microbial communities are not altered by garlic mustard in recently invaded central Illinois forests. Ecosphere, 13(4), [e3967]. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3967
Egenriether, S., Sanford, R., Yang, W. H., & Kent, A. D. (2022). Nitrogen Cycling Microbial Diversity and Operational Taxonomic Unit Clustering: When to Prioritize Accuracy Over Speed. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13, [730340]. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.730340
