Education
BS Biology, Central Washington University
PhD Biology, Colorado State University
Courses Taught
- BIO 426: Conservation Biology
- BIO 422: Plant Diversity
Research
Keywords: Predictive Plant Ecology, Ecosystem Ecology, Community Ecology, Global Change
My research group focuses on predicting how ecosystems will change in the future when droughts and deluges are more frequent and extreme, disturbances such as fire are more severe, and human pressures are constant. To do this, we integrate three scientific approaches. First, we sort through long-term data, such as historical records of weather, disturbance, and plant growth to discover patterns of how ecosystems have responded to global change in the past. Second, we conduct experiments to identify the mechanisms behind these patterns. Third, we incorporate new understanding about these mechanisms into computational tools, such as process-based models, to make projections of potential future ecosystem states. We are interested in a variety of ecosystems including US tallgrass, Piedmont prairie in the SE US, and South African savannas.
More information
