Elizabeth Bach
Ecosystem Restoration Scientist, Nachusa Grasslands Preserve
Franklin Grove, IL
Areas of Expertise
Soil ecology, tallgrass prairie ecosystems, prairie restoration
Publications
Contact
Email: elizabeth.bach@tnc.orgBiography
Elizabeth Bach is the ecosystem restoration scientist at Nachusa Grasslands for The Nature Conservancy in Illinois. She currently works with scientists, land managers and stewards to holistically investigate questions about tallgrass prairie restoration ecology. Her own research expertise focuses on soil ecology, exploring how belowground biology supports tallgrass prairie ecosystems through plant-soil interactions and nutrient and carbon cycling.
Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy in 2020, Elizabeth served as the executive director for the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative. She earned her Ph.D. in ecology & evolutionary biology from Iowa State University after completing a B.A. in biology and environmental science at Cornell College and an M.Sc. in plant biology from Southern Illinois University—Carbondale.
More information about Elizabeth and her research can be found on her website.
Highlight Publications
Bach, E.M.; Kleiman, B.P. 2021. Twenty years of tallgrass prairie restoration in northern Illinois, USA. Ecological Solutions and Evidence. 2:e12101. doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12101 (open access)
Pischl, P.; Burke, S.V.; Bach, E.M.; Duvall, M.R. 2020. Plastome phylogenomics and phylogenetic diversity of endangered and threatened grassland species in the family Poaceae. Ecology and Evolution. 10:7602-7615 doi: 10.1002/ece3.6484 (open access)
Bach, E.M.; Fraser, T.D.; Ramirez, K.S.; Wall, D.H. 2020. Soil biodiversity integrates solutions for a sustainable future. Sustainability. 12: 2662. doi: 10.3390/su12072662 (open access)
Phillips, H.R.P.; Guerra, C.A.; Bartz, M.L.; Briones, M.J.I; Brown, G.; Crowther, T.; Ferlian, O.; Gongalsky, K.; van den Hoogen, J.; Krebs, J.; Orgiazzi, A.; Routh, D.; Schwarz, B.; Bach, E.M. et al. 2019 Global distribution of earthworm diversity. Science 366:480-485. doi: 10.1126/science.aax4851
Bach, E.M.; Williams, R.J.; Hargreaves, S.K.; Yang, F.; Hofmockel, K.S. 2018. Greatest soil microbial diversity found in micro-habitats across three land management systems. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 118:217-226, doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.12.018