Ryan Mushinski

My research focuses on understanding microbial controls over biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, with particular emphasis on nitrogen transformations and trace gas emissions. I investigate how microbial communities respond to environmental change, including land use transitions, climate variability, and management practices, and how these responses influence ecosystem functions. A central theme is linking molecular-scale microbial processes to ecosystem-scale fluxes of reactive nitrogen species, integrating microbial ecology with biogeochemistry and atmospheric chemistry. Current work examines novel mechanisms of soil nitrogen oxide production, including the role of reactive oxygen species in generating volatile nitrogen compounds, and explores microbial nutrient limitation dynamics in peatland ecosystems. I also investigate sustainable agricultural interventions, including nanocomposite fertilisers designed to reduce reactive nitrogen losses while maintaining crop productivity.

Purchase, Megan L., Phillips, Richard P., Raff, Jonathan D., Phelps, Amy I., Huenupi, Elizabeth and Mushinski, Ryan M. (2026) <a href="https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/196526/"><em>Cicada necrobiome mediates greenhouse and trace gas pulses following periodic mass emergence.</em></a> Applied Soil Ecology, 219 . 106813. doi:<a target="_blank" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106813">10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106813</a> ISSN 0929-1393. Chadwick, Jessica, Shi, Jingyi, Purchase, Megan L., Zhang, Peng, Lynch, Iseult, Ullah, Sami, Wang, Deying and Mushinski, Ryan M. (2026) <a href="https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/197322/"><em>Nanocomposite reduces volatile and aqueous reactive nitrogen losses from soil compared to conventional and alternative fertilisers.</em></a> Journal of Susta