World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Environmental Sciences

D-Index
66
Citations
26846
World Ranking
2030
National Ranking
830

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2020 - Soil Science Research Award, American Society of Agronomy
  • 2017 - Mentoring Award, American Society of Agronomy

Overview

M. Francesca Cotrufo is affiliated with Colorado State University in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on agricultural and biological sciences as well as environmental science, with significant work in subfields including soil science, ecology, plant science, atmospheric science, and environmental chemistry.

The topics covered in their research include:

  • Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
  • Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
  • Rangeland and Wildlife Management
  • Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
  • Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
  • Soil and Unsaturated Flow
  • Clay minerals and soil interactions

The scientist has published in several journals, frequently contributing to:

  • Biology and Fertility of Soils
  • Biogeosciences
  • Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment
  • Canadian Journal of Soil Science
  • Agronomy Journal

Coauthors frequently collaborating with M. Francesca Cotrufo include:

  • Michelle L. Haddix
  • Xiangping Tan
  • Megan B. Machmuller
  • Weijun Shen
  • Sam J. Leuthold

Representative recent papers authored or coauthored by them are:

  • "Shifts in fungal biomass and activities of hydrolase and oxidative enzymes explain different responses of litter decomposition to nitrogen addition" (2020), Biology and Fertility of Soils
  • "Mechanisms of soil organic carbon and nitrogen stabilization in mineral-associated organic matter - insights from modeling in phase space" (2024), Biogeosciences
  • "Infrequent compost applications increased plant productivity and soil organic carbon in irrigated pasture but not degraded rangeland" (2022), Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment
  • "Perennial grain Kernza® fields have higher particulate organic carbon at depth than annual grain fields" (2022), Canadian Journal of Soil Science
  • "Improvements in soil properties under adaptive multipaddock grazing relative to conventional grazing" (2022), Agronomy Journal

Research themes in these works often involve the dynamics of soil organic carbon and nitrogen cycling, decomposition processes, and sustainable grazing or land management approaches.

M. Francesca Cotrufo has received recognition through awards including the Soil Science Research Award from the American Society of Agronomy in 2020 and the Mentoring Award from the same society in 2017.

Best Publications

  • The Microbial Efficiency-Matrix Stabilization (MEMS) framework integrates plant litter decomposition with soil organic matter stabilization: do labile plant inputs form stable soil organic matter?

    M. Francesca Cotrufo;Matthew D. Wallenstein;Claudia M. Boot;Karolien Denef

  • Conceptualizing soil organic matter into particulate and mineral-associated forms to address global change in the 21st century.

    Jocelyn M. Lavallee;Jennifer L. Soong;M. Francesca Cotrufo

  • Formation of soil organic matter via biochemical and physical pathways of litter mass loss

    M. Francesca Cotrufo;Jennifer L. Soong;Andrew J. Horton;Eleanor E. Campbell

  • Soil carbon storage informed by particulate and mineral-associated organic matter

    M. Francesca Cotrufo;Maria Giovanna Ranalli;Michelle L. Haddix;Johan Six

  • Grassland soil carbon sequestration: Current understanding, challenges, and solutions

    Unknown

  • Global change pressures on soils from land use and management.

    Pete Smith;Joanna Isobel House;Mercedes Bustamante;Jaroslava Sobocká

  • Elevated CO2 reduces the nitrogen concentration of plant tissues

    M. Francesca Cotrufo;Phil Ineson;AndY. Scott

  • Trends and methodological impacts in soil CO2 efflux partitioning: A metaanalytical review

    Jens-Arne Subke;Ilaria Inglima;M. Francesca Cotrufo

  • The likely impact of elevated [CO2], nitrogen deposition, increased temperature and management on carbon sequestration in temperate and boreal forest ecosystems: a literature review.

    Ritta Hyvönen;Goran I. Agren;Sune Linder;Tryggve Persson

  • Isolating organic carbon fractions with varying turnover rates in temperate agricultural soils : a comprehensive method comparison

    Christopher Poeplau;Axel Don;Johan Six;Michael Kaiser;Michael Kaiser

  • Elevated CO2, litter chemistry, and decomposition: a synthesis.

    Richard J. Norby;M. Francesca Cotrufo;Philip Ineson;Elizabeth G. O’Neill

  • Biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity as key drivers of ecosystem services provided by soils

    P. Smith;M. F. Cotrufo;C. Rumpel;K. Paustian

  • Mycorrhizal hyphal turnover as a dominant process for carbon input into soil organic matter

    Douglas L. Godbold;Marcel R. Hoosbeek;Martin Lukac;M. Francesca Cotrufo

  • Different climate sensitivity of particulate and mineral-associated soil organic matter

    Emanuele Lugato;Jocelyn M. Lavallee;Michelle L. Haddix;Panos Panagos

  • Assessing the impact of land-use change on soil C sequestration in agricultural soils by means of organic matter fractionation and stable C isotopes

    Ilaria Del Galdo;Johan Six;Johan Six;Alessandro Peressotti;M. Francesca Cotrufo

  • Soil organic carbon response to global environmental change depends on its distribution between mineral-associated and particulate organic matter: A meta-analysis.

    Katherine S. Rocci;Jocelyn M. Lavallee;Catherine E. Stewart;M. Francesca Cotrufo

  • Aligning agriculture and climate policy

    Abad Chabbi;J. Lehmann;Philippe Ciais;Henry William Loescher;Henry William Loescher

  • Belowground community responses to fire: meta‐analysis reveals contrasting responses of soil microorganisms and mesofauna

    Yamina Pressler;John C. Moore;M. Francesca Cotrufo

  • Elevated CO2 increases tree‐level intrinsic water use efficiency: insights from carbon and oxygen isotope analyses in tree rings across three forest FACE sites

    Giovanna Battipaglia;Giovanna Battipaglia;Matthias Saurer;Paolo Cherubini;Carlo Calfapietra

  • Decomposition of tree leaf litters grown under elevated CO2: Effect of litter quality

    M. F. Cotrufo;P. Ineson;A. P. Rowland

  • Feedback interactions between needle litter decomposition and rhizosphere activity

    Jens-Arne Subke;Volker Hahn;Giovanna Battipaglia;Sune Linder

  • Current status, uncertainty and future needs in soil organic carbon monitoring.

    Robert Jandl;Mirco Rodeghiero;Cristina Martinez;M. Francesca Cotrufo

  • Co-generated fast pyrolysis biochar mitigates green-house gas emissions and increases carbon sequestration in temperate soils

    Catherine E. Stewart;Catherine E. Stewart;Jiyong Zheng;Jorin Botte;M. Francesca Cotrufo

  • A question of litter quality

    Richard J. Norby;M. Francesca Cotrufo

Frequent Co-Authors

Michelle L. Haddix
Michelle L. Haddix Colorado State University
Giovanna Battipaglia
Giovanna Battipaglia University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"
Richard T. Conant
Richard T. Conant Colorado State University
Keith Paustian
Keith Paustian Colorado State University
Matthew D. Wallenstein
Matthew D. Wallenstein Colorado State University
Diana H. Wall
Diana H. Wall Colorado State University
William J. Parton
William J. Parton Colorado State University
Richard J. Norby
Richard J. Norby University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Johan Six
Johan Six ETH Zurich
Franco Miglietta
Franco Miglietta National Research Council (CNR)

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