Ecology

Ecology and evolutionary biology; the distribution of biodiversity and the challenges posed to its conservation through recent changes to the environment.

Fungal biology, genetics, and ecology. Fire-adapted fungi and post-fire ecosystems.

My research examines the effects of human activity on global biodiversity, with emphases on (1) the behavioral responses of animals to human presence, (2) the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on predator-prey and other species interactions, and (3) the socio-ecological dynamics of conservation and coexistence. This work involves large-scale data synthesis and meta-analyses, and local field studies in North America and Africa.

Ecophysiology, ecosystem ecology, macroecology, scaling, fire behaviour and effects.

We are interested in investigating the abiotic and biotic drivers of species’ distributions, with a focus on how global change influences species range limits and extinction risk. We are also interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying plants use by indigenous communities in tropical regions. Our research combines demographic data, manipulative lab and field experiments, and mathematical models to address pressing conservation and management challenges in a rapidly changing world.

Microbiome of coastal marine organisms; eukaryotes in the microbiome

Aquatic and Insect Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. We investigate the effect of changing environments on insect and aquatic communities; We use field and laboratory experiments, syntheses of published literature, and natural history collections to investigate ecological and evolutionary responses to climate and habitat change; Our work is grounded in ecological and evolutionary theory and has applications to conservation biology and healthy ecosystems.