Soil and Soil Preparation Laboratory

Plants Sustain Humanity; Soil Sustains Plants

Soil, that intricate ecological network, contains a balance of fungi and other microbes that enables plants to grow. Its importance as a prime supporter of life cannot be overstated, which is why Chicago Botanic Garden scientists in the Soil Laboratory are examining the connection between soil, microorganisms, and plants.

PHOTO: Plants of Concern How Soil research benefits you—and the world

Whatever your food preferences may be, all of your meals originated in soil. Without it, life would not be sustainable. Plants grow and survive better in soils that contain appropriate fungi and other microbes. When soil quality suffers because of habitat disturbances, the ability of soil to support plant life, and by extension our own health, is threatened.

Garden scientists are focusing on a number of soil research areas, including how human activities impact ecological networks in soil, and how these networks are involved with issues like carbon sequestration. Because the soil being studied contains unknown microbes, fungi, and other possible contaminants, the Soil Laboratory must be a closed environment. The Soil Preparation Laboratory is where soil is brought and processed before it moves to the Soil Lab.

Case Studies

Louise Egerton-Warburton, Ph.D., specializes in how soil-plant interactions, in particular mycorrhizal fungi, drive the structure and function in the aboveground (plant) community. She is examining how plant invasion (and restoration) affect mycorrhizal fungi, soil carbon, and nitrogen. Because mycorrhizal fungi store carbon and nitrogen as well as supply plants with nutrients, any change in mycorrhizal quantities could influence both soil carbon storage and plant health.

PHOTO: Pati Vitt monitoring plants Other research projects include investigating the survival of the soil community after wildfires and prescribed burns, and soil responses to elevated carbon dioxide and nitrogen pollution. Recent Chicago Botanic Garden research has found that fungi are sensitive indicators of nitrogen pollution (from autos, industry, and similar) within the Chicago area. The number of fungal species decreases as nitrogen pollution increases.

take action:
What can you do?

PHOTO: milkweed

Change your actions:
Even if you aren’t a soil scientist, you can discover how to keep your own soil healthy. A good way to start is by having a sample analyzed professionally.

PHOTO: McDonald Woods

Change your community:
By volunteering in the Garden’s native habitats (McDonald Woods, Dixon Prairie, or Skokie River), you can help monitor the native species nourished by the soil.

In the Laboratory

Together, the Soil Laboratory and Soil Preparation Laboratory cover 1,200 square feet and provide a closed environment for soil research. In addition to specialized equipment for soil analysis, the Soil Laboratory contains a fume hood, designed to capture and filter out contaminants so that they don’t get into the ventilation systems of the other labs.

Staff Scientists

Louise Egerton-Warburton, Ph.D.
Soil Ecologist
Manager, Native Habitats

Gregory M. Mueller, Ph.D.
Vice President, Science and Academic Programs