Nathan Stephenson
Dr. Nathan Stephenson is a Scientist Emeritus at the Western Ecological Research Center.
Earth’s vast forests provide human communities with irreplaceable goods and services such as carbon sequestration, hydrologic regulation, clean water, biodiversity, critical wildlife habitat, wood products, and recreational and spiritual opportunities. An overarching goal of Dr. Nathan Stephenson's research is to improve scientists' and land managers' ability to understand, forecast, and adapt to the effects of ongoing global changes – particularly changing climatic and disturbance regimes – on forests.
Accordingly, most of his research falls in three broad, complementary themes: (1) improving mechanistic understanding of forest and carbon dynamics, (2) detection, attribution, and interpretation of forest changes, and (3) adaptations to rapid global changes. The last theme extends well beyond forests, to natural areas in general.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Forest ecology
- Global change biology
- Climate change
- Fire ecology
- Natural areas management
- Adaptation
EDUCATION
- Ph.D., Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University, 1988
- B.S., Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, 1979
Science and Products
Ecology and management of giant sequoia groves
Climatic control of vegetation distribution: The role of the water balance
Planning for global climate change research: an example from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Replies from the fire gods
Classification and description of the montane and subalpine forest and woodland communities of Sequoia National Park. Final contract report to the Sequoia Natural History Association
Use of tree aggregations in forest ecology and management
Analysis of forest structure using thematic mapper simulator data
Quantitative variation and the ecological role of vulpinic acid and atranorin in thallus of Letharia vulpina
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 93
Ecology and management of giant sequoia groves
No abstract available at this timeAuthorsN.L. StephensonClimatic control of vegetation distribution: The role of the water balance
The water balance describes climate as it is sensed by plants, as the interaction of energy and water in the environment. Discriminant analysis showed that the distribution of North American plant formations was more highly correlated with the water balance (actual evapotranspiration and deficit) than with the more traditional measures of climate (such as temperature and precipitation) used in sevAuthorsNathan L. StephensonPlanning for global climate change research: an example from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
No abstract available.AuthorsD.J. Parsons, D.M. Graber, N.L. StephensonReplies from the fire gods
No abstract available.AuthorsN.L. Stephenson, D.J. Parsons, H.T. NicholsClassification and description of the montane and subalpine forest and woodland communities of Sequoia National Park. Final contract report to the Sequoia Natural History Association
No abstract available at this timeAuthorsN.L. StephensonUse of tree aggregations in forest ecology and management
Two recent studies using tree aggregations to analyze forest age-structure stability and past forest structure are flawed. A better understanding of aggregation dynamics is needed before aggregation analysis is used in forest management.AuthorsN.L. StephensonAnalysis of forest structure using thematic mapper simulator data
No abstract available at this timeAuthorsD. L. Peterson, W.E. Westman, N.L. Stephenson, V.G. Ambrosia, J.A. Brass, M.A. SpannerQuantitative variation and the ecological role of vulpinic acid and atranorin in thallus of Letharia vulpina
High pressure liquid chromatography was used to determine concentrations of vulpinic acid and atranorin in the thaullus of Letharia vulpina. Vulpinic acid concentration is lowest in the old basal branches of the thallus and increases toward the young branch tips, whereas the reverse is true for atranorin. The suggested role of vulpinic acid as an anti-herbivore defense compound is supported by botAuthorsNathan L. Stephenson, Philip W. Rundel - Software
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