Our research focuses on understanding the patterns and processes governing mycorrhizal diversity, and their ecosystem functions such as nutrient and water acquisition in the age of the Anthropocene. This includes the effects of rising temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, and increased atmospheric depositions on mycorrhizal fungi. Our current research examines the effects of reduced rainfall on mycorrhizal community diversity and function in seasonal dry forests (Mexico) where there has been a perceptible loss of precipitation over the last five years. We are also examining the role of hydraulic lift in the survival of oak seedlings and their mycorrhizas in fragmented oak-maple woodlands (Chicago). We use both experimental and observational approaches to identify both local and ecosystem patterns of plant-mycorrhizal responses. (Egerton-Warburton, Evans, Miller, Osburn, Beddows)