Research

Investigating drivers and consequences of changes in biodiversity

Our group investigates how changes in biodiversity alter ecosystem functioning, stability, and services. We also study how global environmental changes (e.g., habitat loss and fragmentation, nutrient enrichment, climate change, exotic species invasions) are driving changes in biodiversity and ecosystems. Most of our studies consider plant diversity in grasslands and forests. We have also reintroduced bison to an oak savanna.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• How do changes in biodiversity influence ecosystem functioning, stability, and services?
• How do global environmental changes impact biodiversity and ecosystems?

CURRENT PROJECTS

• Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Scaling-up understanding of how biodiversity loss alters ecosystem functioning | Video | supported by NSF CAREER Award | NSF LTER Working Group at NCEAS
• Biodiversity, ecosystem stability, and recovery. Quantifying resistance and resilience of grasslands to drought, nutrient enrichment, and land use changes | Story | supported by NSF's Biodiversity on a Changing Planet Program |  NSF's Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program
• Bison reintroduction. Evaluating use of bison grazing for restoration of oak savanna at Cedar Creek | Video | supported by Minnesota's Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund
• Citizen science. Assessing cascading effects of wolf recolonization at Cedar Creek | Eyes on the Wild citizen science website | Video | News | supported by Minnesota's Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund
• Science-policy contributions include:
  1. scoping expert and lead author for the second global assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
  2. author for the US's first National Nature Assessment now known as The National Assessment by Nature Record
  3. expert input in 2020 and 2022 for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
  4. lead author for previous IPBES biodiversity assessments on land degradation & restoration and America's biodiversity & ecosystem services