Sarah Neumann

Dr. Sarah Neumann
Assistant Professor 
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
College of Agriculture

Contact Information: 
Office Location: 202 P Farrell-Westbrook 
Office Phone: (615) 963-7977
Email: sneumann@tnstate.edu 

Lab Website:  www.mccarthy-neumannlab.com/

Research Interests
Dr. Neumann is a forest ecologist whose research (both greenhouse and field based) focuses on plant-soil feedbacks as a mechanism for shaping community composition, structure and productivity of temperate and tropical forests. She is interested in feedbacks between plants and their soil community (both damping-off and mycorrhizal fungi as well as abiotic mediated feedbacks) and the impact that these feedbacks can have on maintenance of tree species diversity, exotic plant invasions as well as native species shifting range boundaries due to climate change.  She also investigates how abiotic factors (e.g. climate, light, soil fertility or moisture) can impact the occurrence or strength of these feedbacks. She uses a mechanistic approach in her research to investigate the causes or processes underlying patterns occurring at the community level.

Publications

McCarthy-Neumann, S., K.E.A. Wood, I. Ibáñez & R.K. Kobe. Mycorrhizal identity of neighboring trees shapes seedling survival and plant-soil feedbacks through trait and light interactions (in press at Functional Ecology).

McCarthy-Neumann, S., K.E.A. Wood & R.K. Kobe. 2026. Mycorrhizal identity and light shape tree seedling biomass responses in plant-soil feedbacks. Plant and Soil. doi: 10.1007/s11104-026-08279-z

Wood, K.E.A., R.K. Kobe, I. Ibáñez & S. McCarthy-Neumann. 2023. Tree seedling functional traits mediate plant-soil feedback survival responses across a gradient of light availability. PLOS One. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0293906

Wood, K.E.A., R.K. Kobe & S. McCarthy-Neumann. 2023. Tree seedling shade tolerance arises from interactions between soil microbes and low light availability, mediated through phenolics and nonstructural carbohydrates. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1224540

Xi, N., S. McCarthy-Neumann, H. Wu, D. Chen, W. Wang, C. Chu & M. Semchenko. 2023. Light availability and species shade-tolerance modify plant-microbial interactions and feedbacks in subtropical trees. New Phytologist. doi:10.1111/nph.18737.

Evans, J., S. McCarthy-Neumann, A. Pritchard, J. Cartwright & W. Wolfe. 2022. A forested wetland at a climate-induced tipping-point: 17-year demographic evidence of widespread tree recruitment failure. Forest Ecology and Management. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120247

Reinhart, K.O., B. T. Bauer, S. McCarthy-Neumann, A.S. MacDougall, J.L. Hierro, M.C.Chiuffo, S.A. Mangan, J. Heinze, J. Bergmann, J. Joshi, R.P. Duncan, J.M. Diez, P. Kardol, G.Rutten, M. Fischer, W. H. van der Putten, T.M. Bezemer & J. Klironomos. 2021. Globally, plant-soil feedbacks are weak predictors of plant abundance. Ecology and Evolution. doi:10.1002/ece3.7167

McCarthy-Neumann, S. & R.K. Kobe. 2019. Site soil-fertility and light availability influence plant-soil feedback. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00383.

Ibáñez, I. and McCarthy-Neumann, S. 2016. Effects of mycorrhizal fungi on tree seedling growth: quantifying the parasitism-mutualism transition along a light gradient. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 46:48-57.

Ibáñez, I. and McCarthy-Neumann, S. 2014 Integrated assessment of the direct and indirect effects of resource gradients on tree species recruitment. Ecology 95(2):364-375.

McCarthy-Neumann, S. & I. Ibáñez. 2013. Negative-plant soil feedback links negative distance dependence and light gradient partitioning during seedling establishment. Ecology 94: 780-786.

McCarthy-Neumann, S. & I. Ibáñez. 2012. Escape from negative plant-soil feedbacks may enhance tree range expansion. Ecology 93: 2637-2649.

McCarthy-Neumann, S. & R.K. Kobe. 2010. Conspecific plant-soil feedbacks reduce survivorship and growth of tropical tree seedlings. Journal of Ecology 98: 396-407.

McCarthy-Neumann, S. & R.K. Kobe. 2010. Conspecific and heterospecific plant-soil feedbacks influence survivorship and growth of temperate tree seedlings. Journal of Ecology 98:408-418.

McCarthy-Neumann, S. & R.K. Kobe. 2008. Tolerance of soil pathogens co-varies with shade tolerance across species of tropical tree seedlings. Ecology 89: 1883-1892.

Education: 
Ph.D., Forestry and Ecology, Evolution and Behavioral Biology, Michigan State University
B.S., Biology, University of the South 

Date Joined Staff: June 2022