Our Mission
Our lab
uses a combination of field studies, laboratory experiments and
remote-sensing products to quantify the primary drivers of
terrestrial plant physiology, productivity and distribution with
an emphasis on coastal ecosystems, especially barrier islands.
Our primary mission is to link plant physiological processes
and morphological characteristics to community and ecosystem
processes at multiple scales from leaf to landscape. Two themes
that drive much of this research effort are the mechanisms and
consequences of shrub expansion and plant physiological stress
detection by fluorescence spectroscopy. Other areas of interest
in our lab include avian dispersal of seeds and nitrogen-fixing
bacteria across coastal landscapes and mechanisms of succession
in maritime communities. We have studied a number of woody
species, but have recently been focused on the nitrogen-fixing
shrubs Morella cerifera and Elaeagnus umbellata.
Additionally, we have recently worked on a number of other woody
and herbaceous species including Rhus copallina,
Juniperus virginiana, Phragmites australis,
Cirsium horidulum and the shrubs Iva frutescens and
Baccharis halimifolia.
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