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Jonathan Dickey, Microbial Ecologist

Areas of Interest

Microbial ecology, Host-associated microbial communities, Aquatic-terrestrial linkages, Biostatistics

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Jonathan R. Dickey, Ph.D

Jonathan Dickey attended The University of Texas at Austin where he completed a Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior. After an internship with the National Park Service, Jonathan began pursuing a Ph.D at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. There, his research investigated the small-scale distribution of plant-host associated microorganisms and the ecological factors that govern these distributions. Currently, he is a post-doctoral scholar in the Jackrel Lab at the University of California San Diego, where he examines the relative importance microbial metabolism and community dynamics have on regulating freshwater leaf litter decomposition and home field advantage patterns found in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. He also uses novel statistical approaches to analyze the effect spatiotemporal factors have on our interpretations of community assembly and diversity.

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Education

 Fall 2017 - Spring 2022

Ph.D, The University of Tennessee Knoxville

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Fordyce Lab

Fall 2010 - Spring 2014

B.S., The University of Texas at Austin

Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior College of Natural Science
Department of Integrative Biology

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Publications

Bacterial communities of the rhizosphere explained by spatial structure and sampling grain

Published in Microbial Ecology

Jonathan Dickey, James Fordyce, and Sarah Lebeis

The Utility of Macroecological Rules for Microbial Biogeography

Published in Fronteirs in Ecology and Evolution

Jonathan Dickey, Rachel Swenie, Claire Winfrey, Sophia Turner, Daniela Yaffar, Kimberly Sheldon, and Stephanie Kivlin

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities vary as a response to short-term rainfall exclusion in the Sonoran Desert

... In review

Jonathan Dickey and James Fordyce

The role of host microbiomes in modulating phytoplankton community dynamics and ecosystem functioning under abiotic stress

... In prep

Jonathan R. Dickey, Nikki M. Mercer, Mirte C. M. Kujipers, Sara L. Jackrel

Rhizospheric bacterial communities respond to changes in soil moisture throughout the Sonoran Desert monsoon season.

... In prep

Jonathan Dickey and James Fordyce

Past Research Experience

Borderlands Restoration and The University of Texas at Austin

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Professional Appointments

Post-Doctoral Scholar

The University of California San Diego, School of Biological Sciences, Department of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, Jackrel Lab, National Institutes of Health, Principal Investigator: Dr. Sara Jackrel

Instructor on Record

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Field Based Ecology Laboratory, Introductory Plant Biology Laboratory

Research Assistant

The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Fordyce Laboratory, The National Science Foundation, Division of Environmental Biology, Dimensions of Biodiversity Grant (~$43,375), Principal Investigators: Drs. James A. Fordyce & Sarah L. Lebeis

Teaching Assistant

Biostatistics, Introduction to Plant Biology, Organismal and Ecological Biology, Biological Literacy

Outreach/Service

Some highlights ...

Dean's Woods Clean Up

2017-2019

The University of Tennesee Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee: Invasive species removal

Verde Valley School

February 2017

Chiricahua National Monument Arizona: Conservation education and outreach, seed collection and  restoration

Sky Island Alliance

Fall 2016

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument New Mexico: Restoration

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Powers Garden, Galiuros Mountains, Arizona: Voucher herbarium collection, natural spring assessments, education

Let's Connect

The University of California San Diego
School of Biological Sciences

9500 Gilman Drive 

La Jolla, California 92093

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