Faculty, Staff and Areas of Research : The Department of Plant and Soil Science : University of Vermont

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Department of Plant and Soil Science

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Deb Neher, Ph.D.

Deborah Neher, Professor and Chair

Ph.D., Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, 1990.
M.S., Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1986.
B.S., Environmental Science, Summa cum laude, McPherson College, McPherson, KS, 1984.
C.V. (PDF)

Soil Ecology; Nematodes and Microarthropods as Environmental Indicators for Terrestrial and Wetland Soils; Plant-Soil Interactions

I consider myself a soil ecologist and agrocologist. I grew up on a family farm and feel a personal connection to the land.

Contact Information

Email: Deborah.Neher@uvm.edu
Phone: (802) 656-5390

Office Hours: by appointment

Website:Faculty website

I am a soil ecologist with research interests in the use of nematodes and microarthropods as indicators of soil quality for environmental monitoring of terrestrial and wetland soil.

I teach the following courses:

Plant Science Colloquium PSS 301

Professional Development: Eco Ag/ Sust Lndsc Hrt PSS 281

Soil Ecology PSS 268/NR 268

Recent Publications;

Zelikova, T.J., Housman, D.C., Grote, E.E., Neher, D.A., and Belnap, J. 2012. Warming and increased precipitation frequency on the Colorado Plateau: Implications for biological soil crusts and soil processes. Plant and Soil DOI 10.1007/s11104-011-1097-z

Darby B.J., Housman, D.C., Neher, D.A., and Belnap, J. 2011. Few short-term effects of elevated soil temperature and increased frequency of summer precipitation on the abundance and taxonomic diversity of desert soil micro– and meso-fauna. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 43:1474-1481.

Bao, Y., and Neher, D.A. 2011. Survey of lesion and northern root-knot nematodes associated with vegetables in Vermont. Nematropica 41:98-106.