NERC Independent Research Fellow investigating global change impacts on soil biodiversity and carbon cycling in mountain ecosystems.
I'm keen to support PhD students interested in plant, soil or ecosystem ecology and am currently advertising a position on "Climate change impacts on soil biodiversity and functioning in mountain ecosystems" via the NERC IAPETUS-DTP at: https://iapetus.ac.uk/studentships/climate-change-impacts-on-soil-biodiversity-and-functioning-in-mountain-ecosystems/
My expertise centers on plant and soil microbial communities, their interactions, and how they regulate biogeochemical cycles. I'm a field ecologist at heart but also dabble in controlled environment studies for mechanistic questions. I am currently running field experiments to test the synergistic effects of climate warming, nitrogen pollution and shrub expansion on soil biodiversity and carbon cycling.
Brief CV 2024-present: NERC Independent Research Fellow at the University of Stirling, UK.
2018-2023: Postdoc and Researcher Co-Investigator at The University of Manchester, UK. Investigated soil microbial community responses to climate change in the Austrian Alps. PI: Prof. Richard Bardgett.
2017-2018: Endeavour Research Fellowship at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Researched invasive plant traits at the global scale with the Nutrient Network. Host: Prof. Jennifer Firn
2013-2017: PhD Environmental Science at Lancaster University, UK. Thesis title: Exploring the Impacts and Mechanisms of Plant Invasions in Grasslands. Supervsiors: Prof. Carly Stevens, Prof. Nick Ostle and Dr. Kate Orwin (Landcare Research, New Zealand).
2012-2013: Research technician with the University of Bern, Switzerland. Investigated ecosystem nutrient cycling in Ecuadorian Cloudforest.
2007-2011: BSc. Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, UK (with a year at the University of Victoria, BC, Canada).
Synergistic global change impacts on belowground biodiversity and carbon stocks in mountain ecosystems.
PI: Dr Arthur Broadbent
Funded by: Natural Environment Research Council
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Article
A global database of soil microbial phospholipid fatty acids and enzyme activities
van Galen LG, Smith GR, Margenot AJ, Crowther TW, Peay KG, Jackson RB, Yu K, Anslan S, Anthony MA, Ascher-Jenull J, Bach EM, Bahram M, Baldrian P, Bardgett RD, Barrios-Garcia MN & Broadbent AAD (2025) A global database of soil microbial phospholipid fatty acids and enzyme activities. Scientific Data, 12 (1), Art. No.: 1568. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05759-2
Article
Broadbent AAD, Newbold LK, Pritchard WJ, Michas A, Goodall T, Cordero I, Giunta A, Snell HSK, Pepper VVLH, Grant HK, Soto DX, Kaufmann R, Schloter M, Griffiths RI & Bahn M (2024) Climate change disrupts the seasonal coupling of plant and soil microbial nutrient cycling in an alpine ecosystem. Global Change Biology, 30 (3), Art. No.: e17245. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17245
Article
Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands
Siebert J, Sünnemann M, Hautier Y, Risch AC, Bakker JD, Biederman L, Blumenthal DM, Borer ET, Bugalho MN, Broadbent AAD, Caldeira MC, Cleland E, Davies KF, Eskelinen A & Hagenah N (2023) Drivers of soil microbial and detritivore activity across global grasslands. Communications Biology, 6, Art. No.: 1220. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-05607-2
Article
Drivers of the microbial metabolic quotient across global grasslands
Risch AC, Zimmermann S, Schütz M, Borer ET, Broadbent AAD, Caldeira MC, Davies KF, Eisenhauer N, Eskelinen A, Fay PA, Hagedorn F, Knops JMH, Lembrechts JJ, MacDougall AS & McCulley RL (2023) Drivers of the microbial metabolic quotient across global grasslands. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 32 (6), pp. 904-918. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13664
Article
Frey B, Moser B, Tytgat B, Zimmermann S, Alberti J, Biederman LA, Borer ET, Broadbent AAD, Caldeira MC, Davies KF, Eisenhauer N, Eskelinen A, Fay PA, Hagedorn F & Hautier Y (2023) Long-term N-addition alters the community structure of functionally important N-cycling soil microorganisms across global grasslands. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 176, Art. No.: 108887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108887
Article
Shrub expansion modulates belowground impacts of changing snow conditions in alpine grasslands
Broadbent AAD, Bahn M, Pritchard WJ, Newbold LK, Goodall T, Guinta A, Snell HSK, Cordero I, Michas A, Grant HK, Soto DX, Kaufmann R, Schloter M, Griffiths RI & Bardgett RD (2022) Shrub expansion modulates belowground impacts of changing snow conditions in alpine grasslands. Ecology Letters, 25 (1), pp. 52-64. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13903
Article
Broadbent AAD, Snell HSK, Michas A, Pritchard WJ, Newbold L, Cordero I, Goodall T, Schallhart N, Kaufmann R, Griffiths RI, Schloter M, Bahn M & Bardgett RD (2021) Climate change alters temporal dynamics of alpine soil microbial functioning and biogeochemical cycling via earlier snowmelt. The ISME Journal, 15 (8), pp. 2264-2275. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-00922-0
Article
Risch AC, Zimmermann S, Moser B, Schütz M, Hagedorn F, Firn J, Fay PA, Adler PB, Biederman LA, Blair JM, Borer ET, Broadbent AAD, Brown CS, Cadotte MW & Caldeira MC (2020) Global impacts of fertilization and herbivore removal on soil net nitrogen mineralization are modulated by local climate and soil properties. Global Change Biology, 26 (12), pp. 7173-7185. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15308
Article
Broadbent AAD, Firn J, McGree JM, Borer ET, Buckley YM, Harpole WS, Komatsu KJ, MacDougall AS, Orwin KH, Ostle NJ, Seabloom EW, Bakker JD, Biederman L, Caldeira MC & Eisenhauer N (2020) Dominant native and non‐native graminoids differ in key leaf traits irrespective of nutrient availability. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 29 (7), pp. 1126-1138. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13092
Article
Soil net nitrogen mineralisation across global grasslands
Risch AC, Zimmermann S, Ochoa-Hueso R, Schütz M, Frey B, Firn JL, Fay PA, Hagedorn F, Borer ET, Seabloom EW, Harpole WS, Knops JMH, McCulley RL, Broadbent AAD & Stevens CJ (2019) Soil net nitrogen mineralisation across global grasslands. Nature Communications, 10 (1), Art. No.: 4981. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12948-2
Article
Leaf nutrients, not specific leaf area, are consistent indicators of elevated nutrient inputs
Firn J, McGree JM, Harvey E, Flores-Moreno H, Schütz M, Buckley YM, Borer ET, Seabloom EW, La Pierre KJ, MacDougall AM, Prober SM, Stevens CJ, Sullivan LL, Porter E & Broadbent AAD (2019) Leaf nutrients, not specific leaf area, are consistent indicators of elevated nutrient inputs. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3, pp. 400-406. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0790-1
Article
Broadbent AAD, Stevens CJ, Ostle NJ & Orwin KH (2018) Biogeographic differences in soil biota promote invasive grass response to nutrient addition relative to co-occurring species despite lack of belowground enemy release. Oecologia, 186, pp. 611-620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4081-y
Article
Broadbent A, Stevens CJ, Peltzer DA, Ostle NJ & Orwin KH (2018) Belowground competition drives invasive plant impact on native species regardless of nitrogen availability. Oecologia, 186, pp. 577-587. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-017-4039-5
Article
Broadbent AAD, Orwin KH, Peltzer DA, Dickie IA, Mason NWH, Ostle NJ & Stevens CJ (2017) Invasive N-fixer Impacts on Litter Decomposition Driven by Changes to Soil Properties Not Litter Quality. Ecosystems, 20, pp. 1151-1163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-016-0099-3
