​species range limits & climate change

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​The questions of which biotic and abiotic mechanisms determine species geographic distributions, and how these will shift with climate change, lie at the heart of my research interests. By surveying populations at species' range limits and along elevational and latitudinal gradients characterized by different climates, I aim to quantify which habitat parameters are most influential for population persistence. Coupled with existing climate projections, this research will contribute to the knowledge base necessary to predict species range shifts with increased accuracy.
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My work on the endemic Pinus coulteri (Pinaceae) in California montane ecosystems showed that species' latitudinal and climatic limits do not necessarily occur together, a common assumption in range limit and climate change research. I am also exploring this topic in my work with the alpine cushion plant Silene acaulis (Caryophyllaceae), for which I have surveyed populations from New Mexico to Alaska as well as in Switzerland and Spain. 


​species interactions & disturbances​


For decades, we have understood that both local and global disturbances can have major influences in species distributional patterns and community composition. However, it is unclear how disturbances affect species interactions within communities. Such interactions are essential for maintaining biodiversity in alpine systems, systems which are particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change and are experiencing increased disturbances from hiker trampling. 

​My current work in alpine systems seeks to answer how the facilitative and competitive interactions between the alpine cushion plant Silene acaulis and its corresponding plant community are altered by human trampling disturbance. I am studying alpine plant communities in both the Colorado Rocky Mountains (recent interview and video summary) and the Swiss Alps (local interview), in order to understand if disturbance effects can be generalized as a potentially global pattern. 


​​global patterns


In order to make accurate predictions regarding biological changes with climate change, we require a global understanding of ecological phenomena. Ideally, we would study ecological communities representing the full spectrum of ecosystems found on Earth, however such data is practically unattainable. In narrowing the scope to encompass one type of ecosystem, we can begin to tease apart possible mechanisms that regulate plant communities on a global scale. I therefore focus this work on an existing dataset of cushion plants in alpine ecosystems world-wide, which allows me to make broad ecological generalizations. I specifically aim to answer how the cushion plant Silene acaulis' global distribution is influenced by climatic and biotic factors.
Funding for this work is generously provided by: Zeno Karl Schindler Foundation; American Alpine Club; Environmental Studies Program at University of Colorado, Boulder; Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance; John Marr Ecology Fund; Hazel Schmoll Research Fellowship; Botanical Society of Switzerland.