Cross-Appointments
Fields of Study
- Environment & Climate
- Physical Geography
- Social & Political Geography
Areas of Interest
Agroecology, biogeochemical cycles, soil fertility, plant functional traits, agroforestry, biodiversity, social-ecological systems, farmer networks.
Biography
Dr. Marney Isaac is a Professor in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Global Development Studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough, and the Department of Geography at the University of Toronto. Dr. Isaac holds the Canada Research Chair in Agroecosystems & Development. Dr. Isaac leads an interdisciplinary lab on sustainable agriculture and addresses fundamental questions on the role of biodiversity and nutrient cycles in agroecosystems. She is a specialist in the field of agroecology, with particular expertise in agroforestry systems. Her research provides insights into the plant-soil interactions that govern the structure and function of biologically complex agricultural landscapes. She also supervises an international research program investigating the role of agrarian information networks in the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. Dr. Isaac has published widely in environmental science, agronomic, ecology and multi-disciplinary journals, with more than 70 peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Isaac serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Ecology and the journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development.
Publications
Isaac, M.E., H. Nyantakyi-Frimpong, P. Matous, E. Dawoe, and L. Anglaaere. 2021. Farmer networks and agrobiodiversity interventions: the unintended outcomes of intended change. Ecology and Society, 26(4):12
Isaac, M.E., V. Nimmo, A. Gaudin, A. Leptin, J. Schmidt, C. Kallenbach, A. Martin, M. Entz, M. Carkner, I. Rajcan, T.D. Boyle, X. Lu. 2021. Crop domestication, root trait syndromes, and soil nutrient acquisition in organic agroecosystems: a systematic review. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5:716480
Isaac, M.E. and K.A. Borden. 2019. Nutrient acquisition strategies in agroforestry systems. Plant and Soil Marschner Review, 444:1–19.
Isaac, M.E., R. Isakson, B. Dale, C.Z. Levkoe, S.K. Hargreaves, V.E. Méndez, H. Wittman, C. Hammelman, J.C. Langill, A.R. Martin, E. Nelson, M. Ekers, K.A. Borden, S. Gagliardi, S. Buchanan, S. Archibald and A. Gálvez Ciani. 2018. Agroecology in Canada: Towards an integration of agroecological practice, movement and science. Sustainability, 10: 3299.
Martin, A.R. and M.E. Isaac. 2018. Functional traits in agroecology: advancing description and prediction in agroecosystems. Journal of Applied Ecology, 55: 5-11.