Terrence H. Bell, Ph.D.
- Assistant Professor of Phytobiomes
409 Buckhout Lab (lab)
University Park, PA 16802
- Email thb15@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-9653
- Fax 814-863-7217
Areas of Expertise
- High-throughput sequencing
- Crop-associated microbiomes
- Impacts of disturbance on plant-microbe relationships
- Environmental microbiology
- Microbial products
Education
- B.S., Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada
- M.S., Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Ph.D., Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- FQRNT Postdoctoral Fellow, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellow, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Postdoctoral Associate
- William King, B.S. from University of Technology Sydney
Students
- Laura Kaminsky (Ph.D. Student, Plant Pathology), B.S. from Cornell University
- Miranda DePriest (Ph.D. Student, Ecology), B.S. from Colorado Mesa University
- Caylon Yates (Ph.D. Student, Ecology), B.S. from Boston University
- Jeremy Sutherland (Ph.D. Student, Bioinformatics and Genomics; co-advised with Jesse Lasky), B.S. from University of Illinois at Chicago
- Sarah Richards (Ph.D. Student, Ecology), B.S. from University of New Hampshire
- Lily Cao (M.S. Student, Ecology; co-advised with Michela Centinari), B.S. from University of Florida
- Helen Senerchia (Undergraduate)
Lab Staff
- Emily Grandinette (Research Technologist), B.S. from The Pennsylvania State University
Alumni
- Rondy Malik (Ph.D. Student, Ecology; co-advised with David Eissenstat), now postdoc at University of Kansas
- Ryan Trexler (Research Technologist), now Ph.D. student with Estelle Couradeau
- Idalys Bonet (Undergraduate Assistant)
- Patrick Brown (Undergraduate Assistant)
- Tim Peoples (Undergraduate Assistant)
- Brandon Wilt (Undergraduate Assistant)
Research
The microbiome is the collection of all microorganisms that inhabit a defined environment. Our lab applies a variety of techniques, including high-throughput sequencing approaches, to understand how the manipulation of environmental microbiomes affects soil function and plant growth.
In particular, we are interested in:
- The impacts of unintentional human modification of microbiomes on the function of agricultural and ecological systems.
- The extent to which microbiomes can be purposefully modified in different biotic and abiotic contexts.
- Competition between complex microbial assemblages.
Editorial Contributions
Editorial Board for ISME Communications
Subject Editor for Journal of Soils and Sediments
Publications
Soil salinization accelerates microbiome stabilization in iterative selections for plant performance
New Phytologist, King, William L., Kaminsky, Laura M., Gannett, Maria, Thompson, Grant L., Kao-Kniffin, Jenny, Bell, Terrence H., 2022
Phylogenetic Signal, Root Morphology, Mycorrhizal Type and Macroinvertebrate Exclusion
Forests, Malik, Rondy J., Bruns, Mary Ann V., Bell, Terrence H., Eissenstat, David M., 2022
Can dispersal be leveraged to improve microbial inoculant success?
Trends in Biotechnology, King, William L., Bell, Terrence H., 2022
The Decay and Fungal Succession of Apples with Bitter Rot Across a Vegetation Diversity Gradient
Phytobiomes Journal, Martin, Phillip L., King, William L., Bell, Terrence H., Peter, Kari Anne, 2022
The hierarchy of root branching order determines bacterial composition, microbial carrying capacity and microbial filtering
Communications Biology, King, William L., Yates, Caylon F., Guo, Jing, Fleishman, Suzanne M., Trexler, Ryan V., Centinari, Michela, Bell, Terrence H., Eissenstat, David M., 2021
Soybean Roots and Soil From High- and Low-Yielding Field Sites Have Different Microbiome Composition
Frontiers in Microbiology, Bandara, Ananda Y., Weerasooriya, Dilooshi K., Trexler, Ryan V., Bell, Terrence H., Esker, Paul D., 2021
Hydrocarbon substrate richness impacts microbial abundance, microbiome composition, and hydrocarbon loss
Applied Soil Ecology, Bell, Terrence H., Camillone, Nina, Abram, Katrina, Bruns, Maryann Victoria, Yergeau, Etienne, St-Arnaud, Marc, 2021
Tree‐induced alterations to soil properties and rhizoplane‐associated bacteria following 23 years in a common garden
Plant and Soil, Yates, Caylon F., Guo, Jing, Bell, Terrence H., Fleishman, Suzanne M., Bock, Hayden W., Trexler, Ryan V., Eissenstat, David M., Centinari, Michela, 2021
Many roads to bacterial generalism
FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Bell, Terrence H., Bell, Thomas, 2021
Management of soil microbes on organic farms
eOrganic, Isbell, Sarah, Fleishman, Suzanne, Cloutier, Mara, Kaminsky, Laura, Borrelli, Kristy, Bell, Terrence, 2021
Soil microbes in organic crop production systems 101
eOrganic, Kaminsky, Laura, Cloutier, Mara, Fleishman, Suzanne, Isbell, Sarah, Borrelli, Kristy, Bell, Terrence, 2021
Harnessing Chemical Ecology for Environment-Friendly Crop Protection
Phytopathology, Kang, Seogchan, Lumactud, Rhea, Li, Ningxiao, Bell, Terrence H., Kim, Hye-Seon, Park, Sook-Young, Lee, Yong-Hwan, 2021
Soybean roots and soil from high- and low-yielding field sites are characterized by distinct microbial co-occurrence networks
Frontiers in Microbiology, Bandara, Ananda, Weerasooriya, Dilooshi, Trexler, Ryan, Trexler, R, Esker, Paul, 2021
Many roads to bacterial generalism
FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Bell, Terrence H, Bell, Thomas, 2020
Bark decomposition in white oak soil outperforms eastern hemlock soil, while bark type leads to consistent changes in soil microbial composition
Biogeochemistry, Malik, Rondy J., Trexler, Ryan V., Eissenstat, David M., Bell, Terrence H., 2020
Comparing approaches for capturing bacterial assemblages associated with symptomatic (Bacterial Blotch) and asymptomatic mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) caps
Phytobiomes Journal, Martins, Samuel J., Trexler, Ryan V., Vieira, Fabricio R., Pecchia, John A., Kandel, Prem P., Hockett, Kevin L., Bell, Terrence H., Bull, Carolee T., 2020
Metatranscriptomic sequencing of a cyanobacterial soil-surface consortium with and without a diverse underlying soil microbiome
Microbiology Resource Announcements, Bell, Terrence H., Trexler, Ryan V., Peng, Xin, Huntemann, Marcel, Clum, Alicia, Foster, Brian, Foster, Bryce, Roux, Simon, Palaniappan, Krishnaveni, Varghese, Neha, Mukherjee, Supratim, Reddy, T. B.K., Daum, Chris, Copeland, Alex, Ivanova, Natalia N., Kyrpides, Nikos C., Pennacchio, Christa, Eloe-Fadrosh, Emiley A., Bruns, Mary Ann, 2020
Comparing approaches for capturing bacterial assemblages associated with symptomatic (bacterial blotch) and asymptomatic mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) caps
Phytobiomes Journal, Martins, Samuel, Trexler, Ryan, Vieira, Fabricio, Pecchia, John, Kandel, Prem, Hockett, Kevin, Bell, Terrence, Bull, Carolee, 2020
Abiotic conditions outweigh microbial origin during bacterial assembly in soils
Environmental Microbiology, Kaminsky, Laura M., Esker, Paul D., Bell, Terrence H., 2020
Prospects of alleviating early planting-associated cold susceptibility of soybean using microbes: insights from microbiome analysis
Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, Bandara, Ananda Y., Weerasooriya, Dilooshi K., Bell, Terrence H., Esker, Paul D., 2020
Relationship between soybean yield from high and low yielding field sites and selected soil characteristics
Agrosystems, Geosciences and Environment, Bandara, Ananda Y., Weerasooriya, Dilooshi K., Murillo-Williams, Adriana, White, Charles M., Collins, Alyssa A., Bell, Terrence H., Esker, Paul D., 2020
Factoring Ecological, Societal, and Economic Considerations into Inoculant Development
Trends in Biotechnology, Bell, Terrence H, Kaminsky, Laura M, Gugino, Beth K, Carlson, John E, Malik, Rondy J, Hockett, Kevin L, Trexler, Ryan V, 2019
The Inherent Conflicts in Developing Soil Microbial Inoculants
Trends in Biotechnology, Kaminsky, Laura M., Trexler, Ryan V., Malik, Rondy J., Hockett, Kevin L., Bell, Terrence H., 2019
Merging microbial and plant profiling to understand the impact of human-generated extreme environments on natural and agricultural systems, Howard, Mia, Kaminsky, Laura, Kessler, Andre, Bell, Terrence, 2019
Microbial inoculants for agricultural soils: potential and challenges
Field Crop News, Kaminsky, Laura, Bell, Terrence, 2019
Innovative Technologies Can Improve Understanding of Microbial Nitrogen Dynamics in Agricultural Soils
Agricultural and Environmental Letters, Cloutier, Mara Lee, Bhowmik, Arnab, Bell, Terrence H., Bruns, Mary Ann, 2019
100 years since Tolaas
Plant Disease, Osdaghi, Ebrahim, Martins, Samuel J., Ramos-Sepulveda, Laura, Vieira, Fabrício Rocha, Pecchia, John A., Beyer, David Meigs, Bell, Terrence H., Yang, Yinong, Hockett, Kevin L., Bull, Carolee T., 2019
Testing sustained soil-to-soil contact as an approach for limiting the abiotic influence of source soils during experimental microbiome transfer
FEMS Microbiology Letters, Trexler, Ryan, Bell, Terrence, 2019
Vineyard under-vine floor management alters soil microbial composition, while the fruit microbiome shows no corresponding shifts
Scientific Reports, Chou, Ming Yi, Vanden Heuvel, Justine, Bell, Terrence H., Panke-Buisse, Kevin, Kao-Kniffin, Jenny, 2018
Rethinking invasion impacts across multiple field sites using European swallowwort (Vincetoxicum rossicum) as a model invader
Invasive Plant Science and Management, Thompson, Grant L., Bell, Terrence H., Kao-Kniffin, Jenny, 2018
Medicago sativa has reduced biomass and nodulation when grown with soil microbiomes conditioned to high phosphorous inputs
Phytobiomes Journal, Kaminsky, Laura M., Thompson, Grant L., Trexler, Ryan V., Bell, Terrence H., Kao-Kniffin, Jenny, 2018
Canola root-Associated microbiomes in the Canadian Prairies
Frontiers in Microbiology, Lay, Chih Ying, Bell, Terrence H., Hamel, Chantal, Harker, K. Neil, Mohr, Ramona, Greer, Charles W., Yergeau, Étienne, St-Arnaud, Marc, 2018
Contribution of Medicago sativa to the productivity and nutritive value of forage in semi-arid grassland pastures
Grass and Forage Science, Klabi, R., Bell, T. H., Hamel, C., Iwaasa, A., Schellenberg, M. P., St-Arnaud, M., 2018
Soil microbiome transfer method affects microbiome composition, including dominant microorganisms, in a novel environment
FEMS Microbiology Letters, Howard, Mia M., Bell, Terrence H., Kao-Kniffin, Jenny, 2017
Petroleum biodegradation capacity of bacteria and fungi isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil
International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation, Marchand, Charlotte, St-Arnaud, Marc, Hogland, William, Bell, Terrence H., Hijri, Mohamed, 2017
Contribution of Medicago sativa to the productivity and nutritive value of forage in semi‐arid grassland pastures
Grass and Forage Science, Klabi, Rim, Bell, Terrence, Hamel, Chantal, Iwaasa, Alan, Schellenberg, Mike, Raies, Aly, St-Arnaud, Marc, 2017
Dynamics of Physicochemical Variables and Cultivable Bacteria in Vermicompost during Steady Food Waste Addition and Upon Feed Interruption
Compost Science and Utilization, Hénault-Ethier, Louise, Bell, Terrence, Martin, Vincent J.J., Gélinas, Yves, 2016
A diverse soil microbiome degrades more crude oil than specialized bacterial assemblages obtained in culture
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Bell, Terrence H., Stefani, Franck O.P., Abram, Katrina, Champagne, Julie, Yergeau, Etienne, Hijri, Mohamed, St-Arnaud, Marc, 2016
Comprehensive sampling of an isolated dune system demonstrates clear patterns in soil fungal communities across a successional gradient
Environmental Microbiology Reports, Roy-Bolduc, Alice, Bell, Terrence H., Boudreau, Stéphane, Hijri, Mohamed, 2015
Early rhizosphere microbiome composition is related to the growth and Zn uptake of willows introduced to a former landfill
Environmental Microbiology, Bell, Terrence H., Cloutier-Hurteau, Benoît, Al-Otaibi, Fahad, Turmel, Marie Claude, Yergeau, Etienne, Courchesne, François, St-Arnaud, Marc, 2015
Culture-dependent and -independent methods capture different microbial community fractions in hydrocarbon-contaminated soils
PLoS One, Stefani, Franck O.P., Bell, Terrence H., Marchand, Charlotte, De La Providencia, Ivan E., El Yassimi, Abdel, St-Arnaud, Marc, Hijri, Mohamed, 2015
Plant assemblage composition and soil P concentration differentially affect communities of AM and total fungi in a semi-arid grassland
FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Klabi, Rim, Bell, Terrence H., Hamel, Chantal, Iwaasa, Alan, Schellenberg, Mike, Raies, Aly, St-Arnaud, Marc, 2015
Transplanting soil microbiomes leads to lasting effects on willow growth, but not on the rhizosphere microbiome
Frontiers in Microbiology, Yergeau, Etienne, Bell, Terrence H., Champagne, Julie, Maynard, Christine, Tardif, Stacie, Tremblay, Julien, Greer, Charles W., 2015
Contrasting the community structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from hydrocarbon-contaminated and uncontaminated soils following willow (Salix spp. L.) planting
PLoS One, Hassan, Saad El Din, Bell, Terrence H., Stefani, Franck O.P., Denis, David, Hijri, Mohamed, St-Arnaud, Marc, 2014
Increasing phytoremediation efficiency and reliability using novel omics approaches
Trends in Biotechnology, Bell, Terrence H., Joly, Simon, Pitre, Frédéric E., Yergeau, Etienne, 2014
Linkage between bacterial and fungal rhizosphere communities in hydrocarbon-contaminated soils is related to plant phylogeny
ISME Journal, Bell, Terrence H., El-Din Hassan, Saad, Lauron-Moreau, Aurélien, Al-Otaibi, Fahad, Hijri, Mohamed, Yergeau, Etienne, St-Arnaud, Marc, 2014
Alteration of microbial community structure affects diesel biodegradation in an Arctic soil
FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Bell, Terrence H., Yergeau, Etienne, Juck, Dave F., Whyte, Lyle G., Greer, Charles W., 2013
Predictable bacterial composition and hydrocarbon degradation in Arctic soils following diesel and nutrient disturbance
ISME Journal, Bell, Terrence H., Yergeau, Etienne, Maynard, Christine, Juck, David, Whyte, Lyle G., Greer, Charles W., 2013
Microbial competition in polar soils
Biology, Bell, Terrence H., Callender, Katrina L., Whyte, Lyle G., Greer, Charles W., 2013
Metagenomics potential for bioremediation
Encyclopedia of Metagenomics, Bell, Terrence, Greer, Charles, Yergeau, Etienne, 2012
