I serve as a principal investigator and non-supervisory team leader for landscape ecological studies at the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, where I have been since 2008. My research group uses a combination of field research and computer modelling to study how ecosystem processes respond to disturbances across large landscapes.
In the floodplain of the Upper Mississippi River, we study how spatial and temporal variation in flooding impacts plant and soil processes. Results from field studies are used to parameterize a spatially explicit simulation model that can be used to better understand and forecast effects of altered hydrological regimes and other disturbances (e.g., emerald ash borer, herbivory by white-tailed deer) on forest succession and nutrient cycling.
At Isle Royale National Park, we study how spatial and temporal variability in browsing by moose impacts plant and soil processes. Results from field studies are used to parameterize a spatially explicit simulation model that can be used to better understand and forecast effects of different moose population dynamics on forest succession in the context of climate change and predation by wolves.
In addition to these two primary study areas, I provide leadership and support for graduate students and other researchers working on a diverse array of topics, most of which require the use of GIS or other modelling approaches to link fine-scale measurements with landscape-scale phenomena. I frequently serve on regional to national scale working groups led by the USGS or other conservation groups and am an associate editor with the Natural Areas Journal.
Science and Products
Attributes of Upper Mississippi River System contiguous forest areas
Modelling and mapping vegetation change at Isle Royale National Park, USA in response to wolf restoration and climate change.
Science and Products
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Attributes of Upper Mississippi River System contiguous forest areas
Floodplain forests are important features of river systems as they create habitat for a variety of wildlife species as well as influence water quality by sequestering nutrients. The ecological conditions found within forested areas can vary greatly from place to place, contributing to spatial variability in species diversity, animal use of the floodplain, and other ecological functions. For this...Modelling and mapping vegetation change at Isle Royale National Park, USA in response to wolf restoration and climate change.
Isle Royale National Park’s populations of wolves and moose are world renown as the subjects of the world’s longest running predator/prey study. However, inbreeding depression among wolves began to take its toll in the early 2000’s, reducing the wolf population to just a lone pair by 2017. Following a multi-year environmental impact assessment, the National Park Service began re-introducing wolves... - Data
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