Crop & Soil Sciences: Personnel: Faculty
Paul Hendrix
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Academic Rank: | Professor |
| Academic History: | Ph.D., University of Georgia 1992 | |
| Area of Expertise: | Soil, Water & Waste Management | |
| Campus: | Athens | |
| Office Location: | Ecology Building, Room 164 | |
| Email: | hendrixp@uga.edu | |
| Phone: | 706/542-9250 | |
| Fax: | 706/542-6040 | |
| Shipping Address: | Ecology Building The University of Georgia 1033 Green Street Athens, GA 30602 |
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| Additional Web site: | Odum School of Ecology |
Research, Teaching, and Extension Work
My research focuses on earthworm ecology, biology and biogeography, and the effects of soil fauna on soil structure and organic matter processes in soil.
My new NSF-funded research focuses on exotic earthworm invasions in wildland ecosystems inhabited by native earthworms. Are undisturbed soils and their resident biota resistant to invasions by exotic earthworms? Do native earthworms reduce the impacts of exotic earthworm invasions on soil processes? Do exotic species eventually displace native species even in undisturbed soils? I am using 13C-labeled plant litter to evaluate the effects of native and exotic earthworms and their interactions on soil organic matter dynamics in old-growth Douglas fir forests in Oregon, deciduous hardwood forests in the southern Appalachians, and longleaf pine - wiregrass savannas in north Florida.
I am also studying soil fauna in southern California chaparral subjected to severe wildfire. Do various functional groups recover rapidly after fire? Does their recovery influence soil processes related to revegetation (e.g., soil aggregate stabilization, organic matter accumulation)? Is there a correlation between soil fauna and vegetation recovery?