Research

My research combines broad-scale data synthesis, observational studies, and greenhouse and field experiments to examine how plant communities drive ecosystem functions and services, particularly in the face of environmental change. Currently, I am working with the newly established Minneapolis-St. Paul Long Term Ecological Research (MSP LTER) program to understand patterns and processes of urban forest resilience and resistance to environmental change. I am also collaborating with the Nutrient Network project to assess how nutrient pollution and grazing affect plant and soil C and nitrogen dynamics across temperate grasslands. In my dissertation research, I focused on developing a better predictive understanding of how above- and below-ground plant traits both affect and respond to variation in soil properties to drive essential ecosystem processes. 

Agroecology

N patterns across scales

​