Christine Sprunger

Dr. Christine Sprunger is an Associate Professor of Soil Health in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences and is based at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. Her research focuses on the intersection of agriculture and the environment, where she investigates how various agricultural management practices impact soil health and ecosystem services. Dr. Sprunger is also interested in understanding how nematode communities can serve as key soil biological health indicators within agroecosystems and explores how climate change impacts rhizosphere dynamics and soil food webs.

Sprunger’s research seeks to identify and evaluate mechanisms through which soil health can contribute to the system resilience of bioengery cropping systems, including switchgrass, miscanthus, poplar, native grasses, and restored prairie. The goal is to assess how bioenergy crops influence soil health and how soil health influences communities of soil microbes, how carbon accumulates in soil, and plant productivity.