Our Work

Asia Cornelius

Asia’s research examines how grazing management and soil type influence arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, beneficial fungi that colonize plant roots and improve access to water and nutrients. She compared fungal colonization in blue grama under rotational and continuous grazing across two common soil types in the Marfa grasslands. Her findings suggest that fungal colonization remained relatively consistent between grazing systems under conservative stocking rates, although severe drought likely reduced colonization throughout the study. This research demonstrates the importance of considering belowground ecological processes when evaluating grazing practices and highlights how moderate grazing pressure may help maintain soil–plant relationships in arid rangelands.