CREAF Talk with Isabelle Laforest-Lapointe: From Forests to Urban Ecosystems — Investigating Microbial Dynamics of Tree Roots and City Bioaerosols

Isabelle Laforest-Lapointe, Associate Professor at the Université de Sherbrooke and Canada Research Chair in Applied Microbial Ecology, will explore the hidden yet crucial role of microbes in shaping both terrestrial and urban ecosystems.

Her talk, “From Forests to Urban Ecosystems: Investigating Microbial Dynamics of Tree Roots and City Bioaerosols”, will present three complementary projects:

• a controlled greenhouse experiment with sugar maple to test the influence of microbial inocula on seedling growth;
• field studies on root mycorrhizal colonization in maple and hemlock forests with contrasting mycorrhizal communities;
• and the analysis of airborne microbial communities in Montreal, Quebec City, and Sherbrooke.

Together, these studies highlight how microbial communities influence ecosystem functioning across different environments, offering new insights into the intersection of microbiology, ecology, and urban sustainability.

Isabelle is also a proud CREAF alumna, having completed her MSc in Terrestrial Ecology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She is delighted to return to CREAF this fall, after her first talk here in 2022.

HOW TO CONNECT: direct link to Isabelle Laforest-Lapointe's conference