Kevin Wilcox, Assistant Professor. My research spans the divide between community and ecosystem ecology, and I am interested in how ecosystem processes vary across time and space. As global change factors like climate shifts, eutrophication, and land use change alter resources within landscapes, this will result in changes in the plant communities that exist there. In turn, these community changes will have strong impacts on important ecosystem functions and services, such as carbon sequestration, forage production, and soil retention. I mostly focus on herbaceous ecosystems, such as grassland and savanna, but the ideas I'm interested in apply to a wide range of different ecosystem types.
Google Scholar CV Sheila Cloud, Masters Student. My current research is focused on Ecosystem Services in Rangeland Ecosystems. I am interested in different management techniques within rangelands in western Colorado and how those management techniques are altering ecosystem services. I am also estimating ecosystem services monetary value in rangeland ecosystems. My research will help to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of rangeland ecosystems.
Ashley Dupuis, Masters Student. I am from Connecticut and I received my BS in Biology from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2019. I am interested in how different stressors affect sage in grasslands and structure the community. Kim O'Keefe, Postdoctoral scholar. As a plant physiological ecologist, I strive to understand the physiological processes that structure natural ecosystems. I am particularly interested in addressing three key questions: (1) What are the limits of plant functioning under environmental stresses associated with climate change? (2) How do plant responses to their environment influence community-level processes? (3) How can we use this information to explain ecosystem change? I use a variety of physiological and quantitative approaches to address these questions, including leaf gas exchange, sensor networks, stable isotope analyses, plant hydraulic measurements, and ecosystem process models.
Abbi Rodgers, MS Student.
Joshua Ajowele, PhD Student. I have previously looked into how time of cutting affects species composition in species-rich meadows. My current research focuses on how patch burn grazing management strategies affect ecosystem functions especially carbon sequestration in tallgrass prairie. I am also interested in how these management strategies affects plant community in tallgrass prairie.
Jenny Hanson, MS Student. My research interests are in how changing climate can effect structural and functional capacities of rangeland ecosystems. Looking at how events, such as increased moisture with different management techniques, alter plant communities and carbon flow.
|