Dr. Yamina Pressler

Phone: (805) 756-6336
Office: 181-313
ypressle@calpoly.edu

Dr. Pressler's Areas of Focus

Soil Ecology · Soil Food Webs · Pedology · Coastal Grasslands · Ecological Restoration

About Dr. Yamina Pressler

Dr. Yamina Pressler is a soil ecologist and educator with a deep fascination for soils, the organisms that inhabit them, and the community of people who study them. Dr. Pressler is an Associate Professor of Soil Science and Restoration Ecology where she leads the Coastal Soil Horizons & Ecology Lab (C-SHEL). Her research focuses on soil ecology, formation, and plant-soil linkages to inform ecosystem restoration and stewardship. Her research team studies soil biota and organic matter in the context of rangeland restoration, fire management, and climate-smart agriculture in the Coastal California Bioregion. Yamina is also an educator and science communicator committed to collective soil conservation and care. She received a Ph.D. in Ecology from Colorado State University, and B.S. in Environmental Management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Yamina was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Texas A&M University, prior to joining the faculty at Cal Poly in 2019.

When not doing science, you can find Dr. Pressler reading books, birding, drawing and painting, and spending time with her loved ones in the desert. You can learn more about her work on her website www.yaminapressler.com .

Selected Publications

Evans, A., McLaren, E., Brito-Bersi, T., Chavez-Velasco, E., Foster, E., Byrne, K., Griffin-Nolan, R.J., Luong, J., Pressler, Y. (2025). Assessing aggregate stability methods to inform restoration in California coastal grasslands. California Native Grasslands Association Grasslands Journal.

Wilson, S.G., Foster, E.J., O’Neill, F., Banuelos, A., Cook, A., Paustian, K., Pressler, Y., Carey, C.J. (2025). Soil organic carbon better described by soil mineralogy and exchangeable cations than oak restoration in California rangelands. Catena. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109453

Rodriguez-Paiatskya, A., Pressler, Y., Decock, C. (2025). Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation and cover crop on soil carbon dynamics and microbial communities in a Mediterranean lemon orchard. Plant and Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07764-1

Pressler, Y., McClymonds, B. B., Balgopal, M. B., (2024). Communicating about soil biodiversity: insights from science editorials and future recommendations. Pedobiologia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedobi.2024.151003

Bales, N., Grossenbacher, D., Pressler, Y., (2024). Abundance of a rare geophyte increases with biocrust cover. Madroño. 71(1):43-53. https://doi.org/10.3120/0024-9637-71.1.43

Pressler, Y., Wilson, G., Cotrufo, M.F., Moore, J.C. (2024). Fire return interval influences soil food web structure and stability in an oak-pine savanna. Plant and Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06646-2

Pressler, Y., Boot, C., Haddix, M., Abiven, S., Lugato, E., Cotrufo, M.F. (2022). Continental-scale measurements of soil pyrogenic carbon in Europe. Soil Research. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR19396

Rees, G.L., Pressler, Y., Bates, G.W., Connolly, C.A., Sommerlad-Rogers, D., De-Lay, A.M., Gill, S.J., Papathakis, P.C., Kronewitter, R.M., Lammert, A.M. (2021). Student perceptions of rapid transition to emergency remote learning in a hands-on agricultural college. Natural Sciences Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/nse2.20062

Carter, T.L., Jennings, L.L., Pressler, Y., Gallo, A.C., Berhe, A.A., Marin-Spiotta, E., Shepard, C.,Ghezzehei, T., Vaughan, K.L. (2020). Towards diverse representation and inclusion in soil science in the United States. Soil Science Society of America Journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20210

Pressler, Y. Zhou, J., He, Z., van Nostrand, J., Smith, A.P. (2020). Post-agricultural tropical forest regeneration shifts soil microbial functional potential for carbon and nutrient cycling. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 107784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107784

Vaughan, K.L., van Miegroet, H., Pennino, A., Pressler, Y., Duball, C., Brevik, E., Berhe, A.A., Olson, C. (2019). Women in soil science: growing participation, emerging gaps, and the opportunities for advancement. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 83(5), 1278-1289. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2019.03.0085

Pressler, Y., Moore, J.C., Cotrufo, M.F. (2019). Belowground community responses to fire: meta-analysis reveals contrasting responses of soil microorganisms and mesofauna. Oikos, 128(3), 309-327. (Editor's Choice) https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.05738

Jin, H., van Rijn, P., Moore, J.C., Bauer, M.I., Pressler, Y., Yestness, N. (2019). A validation framework for science learning progression research. International Journal of Science Education,1-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2019.1606471

Pressler, Y., Hunter-Laszlo, M., Bucko, S., Covitt, B.A., Urban, S., Benton, C., Bartholomew, M.,Morrison, A.J., Foster, E.J., Parker, S.D., Cotrufo, M.F., Moore, J.C. (2019). Teaching authentic soil and plant science in middle school classrooms with a biochar case study. The American Biology Teacher, 81(4), 256-268. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2019.81.4.256

Koltz, A.M., Burkle, L.A., Pressler, Y., Dell, J.E., Vidal, M.C., Richards, L.A., & Murphy, S.M. (2018). Global change and the importance of fire for the ecology and evolution of insects. Current Opinion in Insect Science. 29, 110-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2018.07.015

Koltz, A. M., Asmus, A., Gough, L., Pressler, Y., & Moore, J. C. (2018). The detritus-based microbial-invertebrate food web contributes disproportionately to carbon and nitrogen cycling in the Arctic. Polar Biology, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2201-5

Monroe, J.G., Markman, D.W., Beck, W.S., Felton, A.J., Vahsen, M.L., & Pressler, Y. (2018). Ecoevolutionary dynamics of carbon cycling in the Anthropocene. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 33(3), 213-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2017.12.006

Pressler, Y., Foster, E. J., Moore, J. C., & Cotrufo, M. F. (2017). Coupled biochar amendment and limited irrigation strategies do not affect a degraded soil food web in a maize agroecosystem, compared to the native grassland. GCB Bioenergy, 9(8), 1344-1355. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12429

Natural Resources Management & Environmental Sciences

Preparing passionate leaders driving change in sustainability and stewardship of the environment.

DEGREE PROGRAMS

STUDENT RESOURCES

Dr. Yamina Pressler