We investigate how ecosystem responses to global change drivers are mediated by biotic processes. Specifically, we study how ecosystem function is influenced by mutualisms, competition, consumers, and alterations in abiotic resource availability. Projects in our lab examine a diverse suite of global change drivers, such as nutrient deposition and runoff, consumer loss, altered climatic regimes, and species invasions. We use a variety of techniques to investigate ecosystem responses to global change agents, including long-term experiments, observational data collection, and statistical data synthesis.
We work across a broad range of sites within the United States, studying species invasions in California grasslands, rangeland sustainability in Montana, Wyoming, and Kansas, grassland dynamics in Kansas, forest dynamics in Maryland, and soybean agriculture in Maryland.
Recent Happenings:
August 2024: Welcome to new lab members Kelly Clark (PhD student), Olivia Kjuka (MS student), Elliott Turbeville, Za'Nay Forney, Youseph Sabek, Atlas Pratt-Brown, Airelle Newkirk, Layla Eglin, Caroline Ferguson, Leslie DeCuesta, Madeline Wild, Stephanie Besa, and Silver Caldera! Learn more about everyone in the lab here.
August 2024: The lab headed out to Long Beach, CA for the annual Ecological Society of America meeting!
April 2024: It was a big month for the Community Dynamics lab! Zachary Bunch defended his master's thesis, Rachael Brenneman defended her dissertation proposal, and Millie Ortiz defended her thesis proposal. Congratulations to all three on successfully completing these big milestones!
April 2024: The lab spent some time outside at UNCG's annual Science Everywhere talking to people about our plant microbiome work and helping them culture their own microbiomes!
August 2024: The lab headed out to Long Beach, CA for the annual Ecological Society of America meeting!
April 2024: It was a big month for the Community Dynamics lab! Zachary Bunch defended his master's thesis, Rachael Brenneman defended her dissertation proposal, and Millie Ortiz defended her thesis proposal. Congratulations to all three on successfully completing these big milestones!
April 2024: The lab spent some time outside at UNCG's annual Science Everywhere talking to people about our plant microbiome work and helping them culture their own microbiomes!
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