Current Research

• I lead the Radiocarbon Collaborative, a collaboration-based research initiative sponsored by the Northern Research Station. The Radiocarbon Collaborative expands Forest Service researcher access to radiocarbon analysis, with the goal of assisting researchers in creating statistically robust radiocarbon datasets which address climate change and terrestrial carbon cycling science. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in applying radiocarbon analysis to your research.
• Additionally, I participate in soil organic matter research with a focus on mechanisms of organic matter stabilization and mineralogy.

Research Interests

The response of the soil organic matter pool to climate change is currently the largest uncertainty in global C cycle models. My research is focused on elucidating the molecular-to-field scale mechanisms of organic C stabilization in soils, with the goal of improving our ability to predict soil C vulnerability to climate change and discovering methods of managing our soils to preserve soil C stocks.

Past Research

Heckman K, Welty-Bernard A, Vazquez-Ortega A, Schwartz E, Chorover J, Rasmussen C (2013) The influence of goethite and gibbsite on soluble nutrient dynamics and microbial community composition. Biogeochemistry, 112(1): 179-195.

Heckman K, Vazquez-Ortega A, Gao X, Chorover J, Rasmussen C (2011) Changes in water extractable organic matter during incubation of forest floor material in the presence of quartz, goethite and gibbsite surfaces. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 75: 4295–4309.

Heckman K, Rasmussen C (2011) Lithologic controls on regolith weathering and mass flux in forested ecosystems of the southwestern USA. Geoderma, 164: 99-111.

Heckman K, Welty-Bernard A, Rasmussen C, Schwartz E (2009) Geologic controls of soil carbon cycling and microbial dynamics in temperate conifer forests. Chemical Geology 267: 12-23.

Heckman K, Anderson WB, Wait DA (2006) Distribution and activity of hypolithic soil crusts in a hyperarid desert (Baja California, Mexico). Biology and Fertility of Soils 43: 263-266.

Why This Research is Important

Radiocarbon dating is a unique and powerful tool for the analysis of ecosystem processes. Incorporation of radiocarbon analyses into a broader range of controlled experiments and field studies stands to vastly improve both our understanding of C cycling processes in ecosystems and the response of those ecosystems to changes in climate conditions.

Education

• University of Arizona, Water & Environmental Science, Ph.D. Soil, Water & Environmental Science 2010
• Drury University, B.A. Biology & Environmental Science 2004

Professional Experience

Professional Organizations

• Soil Science Society of America
• Association for Women in Soil Science
• Geological Society of America
• American Geophysical Union

Publications

• See, Craig R.; Fernandez, Chris W.; Conley, Anna M.; DeLancey, Lang C.; Heckman, Katherine A.; Kennedy, Peter G.; Hobbie, Sarah E. 2021. Distinct carbon fractions drive a generalisable two pool model of fungal necromass decomposition.
• Nave, L. E.; Bowman, M. ; Gallo, A. ; Hatten, J. A.; Heckman, K.A.; Matosziuk, L. ; Possinger, A. R.; SanClements, M. ; Sanderman, J. ; Strahm, B. D.; Weiglein, T. L.; Swanston, C.W. 2021. Patterns and predictors of soil organic carbon storage across a continental-scale network.
• Heckman, Katherine A.; Swanston, Christopher W.; Torn, Margaret S.; Hanson, Paul J.; Nave, Lucas E.; Porras, Rachel C.; Mishra, Umakant ; Bill, Markus . 2021. Soil organic matter is principally root derived in an Ultisol under oak forest.
• Maillard, François ; Fernandez, Christopher W.; Mundra, Sunil ; Heckman, Kate ; Kolka, Randy ; Kauserud, Håvard ; Kennedy, Peter G. 2021. Warming drives a 'hummockification' of microbial communities associated with decomposing mycorrhizal fungal necromass in peatlands.
• Lawrence, Corey R.; Beem-Miller, Jeffrey ; Hoyt, Alison M.; Monroe, Grey ; Sierra, Carlos A.; Stoner, Shane ; Heckman, Katherine ; Blankinship, Joseph C.; Crow, Susan E.; McNicol, Gavin ; Trumbore, Susan ; Levine, Paul A.; Vindušková, Olga ; Todd-Brown, Katherine ; Rasmussen, Craig ; Hicks Pries, Caitlin E.; Schädel, Christina ; McFarlane, Karis ; Doetterl, Sebastian ; Hatté, Christine ; He, Yujie ; Treat, Claire ; Harden, Jennifer W.; Torn, Margaret S.; Estop-Aragonés, Cristian ; Asefaw Berhe, Asmeret ; Keiluweit, Marco ; Della Rosa Kuhnen, Ágatha ; Marin-Spiotta, Erika ; Plante, Alain F.; Thompson, Aaron ; Shi, Zheng ; Schimel, Joshua P.; Vaughn, Lydia J. S.; von Fromm, Sophie F.; Wagai, Rota . 2020. An open-source database for the synthesis of soil radiocarbon data: International Soil Radiocarbon Database (ISRaD) version 1.0.
• Heckman, K. A.; Nave, L. E.; Bowman, M. ; Gallo, A. ; Hatten, J. A.; Matosziuk, L. M.; Possinger, A. R.; SanClements, M. ; Strahm, B. D.; Weiglein, T. L.; Rasmussen, C. ; Swanston, C. W. 2020. Divergent controls on carbon concentration and persistence between forests and grasslands of the conterminous US.
• Schaney, Mitzy L.; Kite, J. Steven; Schaney, Christopher R.; Heckman, Katherine ; Coughenour, Christopher . 2020. Radiocarbon dating peatland development: Key steps in reconstructing past climate in the central Appalachian Mountains.
• Fox, Patricia M.; Bill, Markus ; Heckman, Katherine ; Conrad, Mark ; Anderson, Carolyn ; Keiluweit, Marco ; Nico, Peter S. 2020. Shale as a Source of Organic Carbon in Floodplain Sediments of a Mountainous Watershed.
• Matosziuk, Lauren M.; Gallo, Adrian ; Hatten, Jeff ; Bladon, Kevin D.; Ruud, Danica ; Bowman, Maggie ; Egan, Jessica ; Heckman, Kate ; SanClements, Michael ; Strahm, Brian ; Weiglein, Tyler . 2020. Short-Term Effects of Recent Fire on the Production and Translocation of Pyrogenic Carbon in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• Berryman, Erin ; Hatten, Jeffrey ; Page-Dumroese, Deborah S.; Heckman, Katherine A.; D’Amore, David V; Puttere, Jennifer ; SanClements, Michael ; Connolly, Stephanie J.; Perry, Charles H. (Hobie); Domke, Grant M. 2020. Soil carbon Chapter 2.
• Fernandez, Christopher W.; Heckman, Katherine ; Kolka, Randall ; Kennedy, Peter G. 2019. Melanin mitigates the accelerated decay of mycorrhizal necromass with peatland warming.
• Hofmeister, Kathryn L.; Nave, Lucas E.; Drevnick, Paul ; Veverica, Timothy ; Knudstrup, Renee ; Heckman, Katherine A.; Riha, Susan J.; Schneider, Rebecca L.; Walter, M. Todd. 2019. Seasonal dynamics and exports of elements from a first order stream to a large inland lake in Michigan.
• Heckman, Katherine ; Lawrence, Corey R.; Harden, Jennifer W. 2018. A sequential selective dissolution method to quantify storage and stability of organic carbon associated with Al and Fe hydroxide phases.
• Rasmussen, Craig ; Heckman, Katherine ; Wieder, William R.; Keiluweit, Marco ; Lawrence, Corey R.; Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw; Blankinship, Joseph C.; Crow, Susan E.; Druhan, Jennifer L.; Hicks Pries, Caitlin E.; Marin-Spiotta, Erika ; Plante, Alain F.; Schädel, Christina ; Schimel, Joshua P.; Sierra, Carlos A.; Thompson, Aaron ; Wagai, Rota . 2018. Beyond clay: towards an improved set of variables for predicting soil organic matter content.
• Rasmussen, Craig ; Throckmorton, Heather ; Liles, Garrett ; Heckman, Katherine ; Meding, Stephen ; Horwath, William . 2018. Controls on Soil Organic Carbon Partitioning and Stabilization in the California Sierra Nevada.
• Blankinship, Joseph C.; Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw; Crow, Susan E.; Druhan, Jennifer L.; Heckman, Katherine A.; Keiluweit, Marco ; Lawrence, Corey R.; Marín-Spiotta, Erika ; Plante, Alain F.; Rasmussen, Craig ; Schädel, Christina ; Schimel, Joshua P.; Sierra, Carlos A.; Thompson, Aaron ; Wagai, Rota ; Wieder, William R. 2018. Improving understanding of soil organic matter dynamics by triangulating theories, measurements, and models.
• Harden, Jennifer W.; Hugelius, Gustaf ; Ahlström, Anders ; Blankinship, Joseph C.; Bond-Lamberty, Ben ; Lawrence, Corey R.; Loisel, Julie ; Malhotra, Avni ; Jackson, Robert B.; Ogle, Stephen ; Phillips, Claire ; Ryals, Rebecca ; Todd-Brown, Katherine ; Vargas, Rodrigo ; Vergara, Sintana E.; Cotrufo, M. Francesca; Keiluweit, Marco ; Heckman, Katherine A.; Crow, Susan E.; Silver, Whendee L.; DeLonge, Marcia ; Nave, Lucas E. 2018. Networking our science to characterize the state, vulnerabilities, and management opportunities of soil organic matter.
• Nave, Lucas ; Heckman, Katherine ; Muñoz, Alexandra ; Swanston, Christopher W. 2018. Radiocarbon Suggests the Hemiparasitic Annual Melampyrum Lineare Desr. May Acquire Carbon from Stressed Hosts.
• Certano, Amanda K.; Fernandez, Christopher W.; Heckman, Katherine A.; Kennedy, Peter G. 2018. The afterlife effects of fungal morphology: Contrasting decomposition rates between diffuse and rhizomorphic necromass.
• Heckman, Katherine ; Throckmorton, Heather ; Horwath, William ; Swanston, Christopher ; Rasmussen, Craig . 2018. Variation in the Molecular Structure and Radiocarbon Abundance of Mineral-Associated Organic Matter across a Lithosequence of Forest Soils.
• Ohno, Tsutomu ; Heckman, Katherine A.; Plante, Alain F.; Fernandez, Ivan J.; Parr, Thomas B. 2017. 14C mean residence time and its relationship with thermal stability and molecular composition of soil organic matter: A case study of deciduous and coniferous forest types.
• Stewart, Joseph A. E.; Wright, David H.; Heckman, Katherine A.; Guralnick, Robert. 2017. Apparent climate-mediated loss and fragmentation of core habitat of the American pika in the Northern Sierra Nevada, California, USA.
• Heckman, Katherine; Torres, Dorisel; Swanston, Christopher; Lehmann, Johannes. 2017. Carbon and nitrogen molecular composition of soil organic matter fractions resistant to oxidation.
• Fox, Patricia M.; Nico, Peter S.; Tfaily, Malak M.; Heckman, Katherine ; Davis, James A. 2017. Characterization of natural organic matter in low-carbon sediments: Extraction and analytical approaches.
• Bailey, Vanessa L.; Bond-Lamberty, Ben ; DeAngelis, Kristen ; Grandy, A. Stuart; Hawkes, Christine V; Heckman, Kate ; Lajtha, Kate ; Phillips, Richard P.; Sulman, Benjamin N.; Todd-Brown, Katherine E. O.; Wallenstein, Matthew D. 2017. Soil carbon cycling proxies: Understanding their critical role in predicting climate change feedbacks.
• Nave, Lucas E.; Drevnick, Paul E.; Heckman, Katherine A.; Hofmeister, Kathryn L.; Veverica, Timothy J.; Swanston, Christopher W. 2017. Soil hydrology, physical and chemical properties and the distribution of carbon and mercury in a postglacial lake-plain wetland.
• Lybrand, Rebecca A.; Heckman, Katherine ; Rasmussen, Craig . 2017. Soil organic carbon partitioning and 14C variation in desert and conifer ecosystems of southern Arizona.
• Butnor, John R.; Samuelson, Lisa J.; Johnsen, Kurt H.; Anderson, Peter H.; Gonzalez Benecke, Carlos A.; Boot, Claudia M.; Cotrufo, M. Francesca; Heckman, Katherine A.; Jackson, Jason A.; Stokes, Thomas A.; Zarnoch, Stanley J. 2017. Vertical distribution and persistence of soil organic carbon in fire-adapted longleaf pine forests.
• Hribljan, John A.; Suarez, Esteban; Heckman, Katherine A.; Lilleskov, Erik; Chimner, Rodney A. 2016. Peatland carbon stocks and accumulation rates in the Ecuadorian p ramo.
• Millar, Constance I.; Heckman, Katherine; Swanston, Christopher; Schmidt, Karena; Westfall, Robert D.; Delany, Diane L. 2014. Radiocarbon dating of American pika fecal pellets provides insights into population extirpations and climate refugia.
• Heckman, K.; Grandy, A.S.; Gao, X.; Keiluweit, M.; Wickings, K.; Carpenter, K.; Chorover, J.; Rasmussen, C. 2013. Sorptive fractionation of organic matter and formation of organo-hydroxy-aluminum complexes during litter biodegradation in the presence of gibbsite.
• Heckman, Katherine; Campbell, John L.; Powers, Heath; Law, Beverly E.; Swanston, Chris. 2013. The influence of fire on the radiocarbon signature and character of soil organic matter in the Siskiyou national forest, Oregon, USA.

Citations of non US Forest Service Publications

• Hribljan JA, Cooper DJ, Sueltenfuss J, Wolf E, Heckman K, Lilleskov EA, Chimner RA (2015) Carbon storage and long-term rate of accumulation in high altitude Andean peatlands of Bolivia. Mires and Peat, 15: 1-14

  Kinney KM, Asner GP, Cordell S, Chadwick OA, Heckman K, Hotchkiss S, Jerai M, Kennedy-Bowdoin T, Knapp DE, Questad EJ, Thaxton JM, Trusdell F, Kellner JR (2015) Primary succession on a Hawaiian dryland chronosequene. PLoS ONE. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0123995

  JA O’Donnell, GR Aiken, MA Walvoord, KD Butler, MM Dornblaser, K Heckman (2014) Using DOM age and composition to detect permafrost thaw in boreal streams of interior Alaska. Journal of Geographic Research-Biogeosciences, 199. DOI: 10.1002/2014JG002695

  Heckman K, Throckmorton H, Clingensmith C, González Vila FJ, Horwath WR, Knicker H, Rasmussen C (2014) Factors affecting the molecular structure and mean residence time of occluded organics in a lithosequence of soils under ponderosa pine. Soil Biology & Biochemistry. DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.05.028

Research Highlights

Highlight	Title	Year
NRS-2017-50	Radiocarbon sheds light on climate change and carbon cycle The Forest Service provides nationwide support for carbon and climate research through the Radiocarbon Collaborative, which has supported a wide ...	2017