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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Dear all,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Please join us in <a href="https://map.arizona.edu/107">
<b>Marley 230</b></a> on <b>Tuesday, February 4, at 4:00 PM</b> for a seminar presented by Dr. Ben Yang from Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Zoom link: <a href="https://arizona.zoom.us/j/84253432688">
https://arizona.zoom.us/j/84253432688</a> (password: <b>SPLS2025</b>).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Refreshments will be provided in the Marley Lobby at 3:30 PM.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Title: Chemical Signatures of Success: Understanding Lehmann Lovegrass Invasion Through Metabolomics<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Abstract</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">: Lehmann lovegrass (<i>Eragrostis lehmanniana)</i> is rapidly transforming semi-arid landscapes in North America, yet the biochemical mechanisms underlying
its invasion success remain poorly understood. Through comprehensive metabolomics analysis (¹H NMR, LC-MS/MS, FT-ICR-MS, and MALDI-MS), we compared the metabolic profiles of Lehmann lovegrass and native Arizona cottontop (<i>Digitaria californica</i>). Our
findings reveal three key mechanisms: (1) Enhanced nitrogen allocation to shoots, enabling growth advantage in nutrient-poor soils; (2) Reduced investment in root defensive metabolites, suggesting altered below-ground competitive strategies; and (3) Dynamic
modulation of root exudates under stress conditions, indicating high phenotypic plasticity. These metabolic signatures suggest that climate-driven changes in resource distribution may further facilitate Lehmann lovegrass invasion. This seminar will explore
how chemical ecology approaches can illuminate the molecular mechanisms driving plant invasion success and their implications for semi-arid ecosystem management.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Bio</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">: Dr. Ben Yang is a soil ecologist who uses cutting edge multi-omic approaches to understand the role of soil in ecosystem functions and how to manage it for
sustainability in the future. He studied environmental microbiology as an undergraduate at the University of Toronto. His PhD research focused on the role of microbial communities in ecological restoration in Dr. Albert Barbaran’s lab at the University of
Arizona. Dr. Yang is currently a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Malak Tfaily’s lab, where he studies plant-soil interactions and ecosystem response to disturbance using untargeted metabolomics.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-ligatures:none">===============================================================<br>
</span><b><span style="font-size:20.0pt;font-family:"Vladimir Script";mso-ligatures:none">Zhongguo Xiong</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-ligatures:none"> <br>
School of Plant Sciences BIO5 Institute<br>
BIO5 Email: <span style="color:blue"><a href="mailto:zxiong@arizona.edu"><span style="color:blue">zxiong@arizona.edu</span></a></span>
<br>
Phone: (520)-621-9869<br>
Forbes 303, P.O. box 210036 Fax: (520)-621-7186<br>
University of Arizona <br>
Tucson, AZ 85721-0036 <span style="color:blue"><a href="http://ag.arizona.edu/~zxiong"><span style="color:blue">http://ag.arizona.edu/~zxiong</span></a></span><br>
===============================================================</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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