Publications

Peer-reviewed work.

27 peer-reviewed publications across plant–soil ecology, biogeochemistry, and tropical forest dynamics. Selected work shown below. * denotes co-first author.

Farms to Understand Forests

12 papers
01

1st Author D. F. Petticord, E. H. Boughton, A. Gough, J. Qiu, A. L. Reyes, A. Saha, R. Zhi, J. P. Sparks, "Phosphorus mitigation through hay harvest: Addressing legacy P in subtropical pasture"

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, vol. 399, 110136, 2026  ·  doi →
02

1st Author D. F. Petticord, R. Zhi, E. Boughton, Y. Guo, H. L. Liao, A. Reyes, J. Sparks, J. Qiu, "The abundance of a Fusarium taxa strongly predicts foliar phosphorus concentrations in Bahiagrass"

Soil Biology and Biochemistry, vol. 214, 110049, 2026  ·  doi →
03

Co-1st W. Wang*, D. F. Petticord*, S. Zhao, et al., "Conversion from farmland to orchard or agroforestry improves soil carbon sequestration by enhancing microbial biological activity in Northwest China"

PLOS ONE, vol. 21, e0344008, 2026  ·  doi →
04

J. Li, Y. Zhu, D. F. Petticord, ..., Y.-G. Zhu, "Phyllosphere to soil: How long-term fencing reshapes grassland microbial community construction and their functional genes"

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, vol. 397, 110062, 2026  ·  doi →
05

Y. Li, Z. Mou, L. Kuang, ..., D. F. Petticord, D. Hui, Z. Liu, "Mixed-species afforestation enhances soil multifunctionality through microbial reassembly and SOC molecular diversification"

Journal of Applied Ecology, vol. 63, e70509, 2026  ·  doi →
06

1st Author D. F. Petticord, B. T. Uveges, E. H. Boughton, B. D. Strahm, J. P. Sparks, "Spatial decoupling of biological and geochemical phosphorus cycling in podzolized soils"

Soil Systems, vol. 9, no. 4, p. 115, 2025  ·  doi →
07

R. Zhi, D. F. Petticord, Y. Guo, et al., "Influence of soil phosphorus levels on rhizosphere fungal communities in managed subtropical perennial Bahiagrass"

Applied Soil Ecology, vol. 212, 106209, 2025  ·  doi →
08

Co-1st W. Luo*, D. F. Petticord*, S. Zhu, et al., "Biochar application and mowing independently and interactively influence soil enzyme activity and carbon sequestration in karst and red soils"

Agronomy, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 252, 2025  ·  doi →
09

S. Zhu, ..., D. F. Petticord, X. Song, "Biochar efficacy in enhancing soil carbon fractions is mediated by parent soil type in grazing karst grassland"

Carbon Research, vol. 4, p. 52, 2025  ·  doi →
10

1st Author D. F. Petticord, E. H. Boughton, H. Li, J. Qiu, A. Saha, R. Zhi, J. P. Sparks, "Planted species influences soil phosphorus losses in a historically fertilized pasture system: A mesocosm study"

Ecosphere, vol. 15, no. 9, e4976, 2024  ·  doi →
11

R. Zhi, E. H. Boughton, H. Li, D. F. Petticord, et al., "Soil legacy phosphorus and loss risk in subtropical grasslands"

J. Environ. Management, vol. 366, p. 121656, 2024  ·  doi →
12

J. Qiu, E. H. Boughton, H. Li, C. R. B. Henderson, D. F. Petticord, et al., "Unraveling spatial heterogeneity of soil legacy phosphorus in subtropical grasslands"

Ecological Applications, vol. 34, no. 6, e3007, 2024  ·  doi →

Forests to Understand Farms

13 papers
01

G. Zhou [mentee], X. Wang, J. Chase, P. Reich, N. He, K. Hikosaka, D. F. Petticord, et al., "Lamina–petiole scaling in coordination with canopy light capture in simple-leaved woody plants"

Journal of Ecology, in press
02

G. Zhou [mentee], D. F. Petticord, X. Wang, et al., "Intraspecific variation in the growth–defense trade-off among deciduous and evergreen broadleaf woody plants"

New Phytologist, vol. 249, pp. 2287–2299, 2026  ·  doi →
03

G. Zhou, D. F. Petticord, Y. Z. Xu, Y. Z. Qin, B. Dong, X. J. Qiao, M. X. Jiang, "Determinants of herbivory on seedlings in a subtropical forest: Insights from plant apparency, Janzen-Connell effects, and functional traits"

Plant Diversity, 2026  ·  doi →
04

X. Chen, ..., D. F. Petticord, ..., Z. Liu, "Roots dominate over extraradical hyphae in driving soil organic carbon accumulation during tropical forest succession"

Global Change Biology, vol. 31, e70499, 2025  ·  doi →
05

Z. Ding, ..., D. F. Petticord, ..., Z. Liu, "Topography mediates contrasting patterns of glomalin-related soil protein and its contribution to soil organic carbon in a tropical montane rainforest"

Plant and Soil, vol. 514, pp. 2259–2272, 2025  ·  doi →
06

G.-C. Hsu [mentee], D. F. Petticord, K. F. Slimon, J. P. Sparks, "Heterospecific-neighbor-mediated changes in density and size increase prey capture by a carnivorous plant"

Oikos, e11309, 2025  ·  doi →
07

C. Liang, ..., D. F. Petticord, ..., "Untangling community assembly through functional traits and phylogenetic alpha diversity in subtropical karst forests"

Ecology and Evolution, vol. 15, e71616, 2025  ·  doi →
08

Co-1st J. Li*, D. F. Petticord*, M. Jin, et al., "From nature to urbanity: Exploring phyllosphere microbiome and functional gene responses to the Anthropocene"

New Phytologist, vol. 245, pp. 591–606, 2025  ·  doi →
09

X. Xu, P. van der Sleen, ..., D. F. Petticord, ..., "Constraining long-term model predictions for woody growth using tropical tree rings"

Global Change Biology, vol. 30, e17075, 2024  ·  doi →
10

G. Zhou, Y. Qin, D. F. Petticord, et al., "Plant-ant interactions mediate herbivore-induced conspecific negative density dependence in a subtropical forest"

Science of The Total Environment, vol. 927, p. 172163, 2024  ·  doi →
11

C. S. Delavaux, ..., D. F. Petticord, ..., "Fungal community dissimilarity predicts plant–soil feedback strength in a lowland tropical forest"

Ecology, vol. 105, e4200, 2024 — Top 10% most viewed  ·  doi →
12

J. Li, Z.-F. Liu, ..., D. F. Petticord, ..., "Microbial controls over soil priming effects under chronic nitrogen and phosphorus additions in subtropical forests"

The ISME Journal, vol. 17, no. 12, pp. 2160–2168, 2023  ·  doi →
13

J. W. Schroeder, A. Dobson, S. A. Mangan, D. F. Petticord, E. A. Herre, "Mutualist and pathogen traits interact to affect plant community structure in a spatially explicit model"

Nature Communications, vol. 11, p. 2204, 2020  ·  doi →

Get in touch.

petticordd@caryinstitute.org