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College of Agriculture and Bioresources

Research Area(s)

  • Restoration ecology
  • Remediation
  • Northern plant soil systems

Department

Soil Science

Other Affiliations/positions

Research Interests

I examine biologically mediated nitrogen input and nitrogen cycling in arctic, alpine and boreal ecosystems to identify means of restoring sustainable pathways that promote long-term ecosystem health.  My research group works with belowground soil systems, early successional soil surface communities and native vascular plants allowing for an integrated approach to examining both the impact and remediation of contaminants in the environment.  Collaborating with industrial partners across northern Canada we work to develop soil amendment technology and practices for the reclamation and restoration of plant-soil systems impacted by hydrocarbons, heavy metals and herbicides.

Areas of specialization

  • Restoration Ecology
  • Northern plant-soil systems
  • Remediation
  • N cycling

Education

B.Sc., M.Sc. (Lakehead University)
Ph.D. (University of Northern British Columbia)

Selected Recent Publications

Stewart, K.J. and Siciliano, S.D. 2015. Potential contribution of native herbs and biological soil crusts to restoration of the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle in mining impacted sites in northern Canada. Ecological Restoration 33: 30-42.

Harper, K.A, Macdonald, S.E., Mayerhofer, M.S., Biswas, S.R., Esseen, P-A., Hylander, K., Stewart,

K.J., Mallik, A.U., Drapeau, P., Jonsson, B-G., Lesieur, D., Kouki, J. And Bergeron, Y. 2015. Edge influence on vegetation at natural and anthropogenic edges of boreal forests in Canada and Fennoscandia. Journal of Ecology 103: 550-562.

Stewart, K.J., Grogan, P., Coxson, D.S. and Siciliano, S.D. 2014. Topography as a key factor driving atmospheric nitrogen exchanges in arctic terrestrial ecosystems. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 70: 96-112.

Lamb, E.G., Mengersen, K.L., Stewart, K.J., Attanayake, U. and Siciliano, S.D. 2014. Spatially explicit structural equation modelling. Ecology 95: 2434-2442.

Stewart, K.J., Brummel, M.E., Coxson, D.S. and Siciliano, S.D. 2013. How is nitrogen fixation in the high arctic linked to greenhouse gas emissions? Plant and Soil 362: 215-229.

Courses

TOX 400.3 -Quantitative Toxicology

SLSC 398.3- Ecology and Practice of Terrestrial Restoration and Remediation

SLSC 990- Soil Science Seminar