I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Notre Dame. My research links plant physiology with community and ecosystem ecology to understand the mechanisms and consequences of large-scale vegetation shifts. Most of my research has focused on how the physiological responses of woody plants to disturbance scale-up to drive changes in woody cover in grasslands and savannas. I center my research around 3 focal questions:

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1. How does plant physiology determine species success or failure under altered disturbance regimes?

2. How do these physiological responses scale up to drive changes in plant communities?

3. In what ways do these vegetation shifts alter ecosystem processes?

 

Grasslands and savannas are unique and complex study systems in that their structure and composition are highly influenced by drought, fire frequency, and herbivory by large mammals. There is something fulfilling about trudging through grasslands in the heat of summer!