A5007649466- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Urban Heat Island Mitigation
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Urban Green Space and Health
- Aeolian processes and effects
- Leaf Properties and Growth Measurement
- Plant responses to elevated CO2
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
- Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
- Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies
- Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Climate change and permafrost
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Island Studies and Pacific Affairs
- Horticultural and Viticultural Research
- Plant and animal studies
University of North Carolina Wilmington
2021-2024
National Park Service
2024
Virginia Commonwealth University
2011-2017
University of California, Riverside
2014-2017
Urbanization creates novel ecosystems comprised of species assemblages and environments with no natural analogue. Moreover, irrigation can alter plant function compared to non-irrigated systems. However, the capacity functional trait patterns across multiple is unknown but may be important for dynamics urban ecosystems. We evaluated hypothesis that influences plasticity in traits by measuring carbon-gain water-use 30 tree planted Southern California, USA spanning a coastal-to-desert...
Considering impacts of predicted increases in sea-level, storms, and alterations precipitation patterns on geomorphological associated ecological processes, woody vegetation dynamics may serve as sentinels to climate change barrier islands. We examined island-scale conversion land (i.e. sand grassland cover) while relating the importance variables rate expansion. Light Detection Ranging (LiDAR) was used evaluate potential distribution species based distance shoreline elevation. Using Landsat...
Abstract High nighttime urban air temperatures increase health risks and economic vulnerability of people globally. While recent studies have highlighted heat mitigation effects vegetation, the magnitude variability vegetation-derived cooling differs greatly among cities. We hypothesize that is driven by vegetation density whose effect regulated aridity through increasing transpiration. test this hypothesis deploying microclimate sensors across eight United States cities investigating...
Shiflett, S.A. and Backstrom, J.T., 2023. Impacts of Hurricane Isaias (2020) on geomorphology vegetation communities natural planted dunes in North Carolina. Journal Coastal Research, 39(4), 587–609. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. serve a crucial role reducing inland flooding, slowing shoreline erosion, acting as physical barrier to protect developed coastal from storm-related impacts. Dunes also provide critical habitat for several species. High magnitude storms such hurricanes...
Woody expansion has been documented for years in many different systems, often the result of anthropogenic changes to environment. Causes and consequences woody have well documented, but comparatively few studies focused on functional traits that mechanistically allow dramatic range. Our objectives were investigate plant resource strategies contribute rapid an invasive, nitrogen‐fixing shrub, Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb. (Elaeagnaceae) compared with two sympatric native shrubs, Clethra...
Urban vegetation provides many highly valued ecosystem services but also requires extensive urban water resources. Increasingly, cities are experiencing limitations and managing outdoor use is an important concern. Quantifying the lost via evapotranspiration (ET) critical for management conservation, especially in arid or semi-arid regions. In this study, we deployed a mobile energy balance platform to measure evaporative fraction throughout Riverside, California, warm, semi-arid, city. We...
Abstract In the last decade, due to prolonged and persisting drought conditions, California initially restricted water for outdoor landscape irrigation, subsequently offered turf removal rebates homeowners. Nevertheless, effects of on land surface temperature (LST) in region have not been investigated. Temperature differences between artificial natural were assessed over time across four counties Southern using MODIS/ASTER airborne simulator (MASTER) with a spatial resolution 5–50 m....
Quantification of seed arrival as an ecological flux may improve understanding patch dynamics and variations in community structure across the landscape. Microsites favorable for germination are continually being created destroyed coastal ecosystems, so dispersal to multiple patches is essential survival growth. In order elucidate role that play on barrier islands, our study was conducted three Virginia, USA islands: Metompkin, Hog, Smith, which represent a range size, topographic complexity...
In recent years, expansion of native and exotic evergreen shrubs into forest understories has been documented worldwide. Dense shrub thickets may interfere with tree establishment, suppress herbaceous cover, contribute substantially to total standing crop leaf biomass. Expansion occur because exploit seasonal variations in irradiance temperature that are characteristic temperate understory environments. We quantified leaf-level light environment photosynthetic activity three sympatric...
Abstract Woody expansion has been documented for decades in many different systems globally, often yielding vast changes ecosystem functioning. While causes and consequences of woody have well documented, few studies addressed plant functional traits that promote dramatic rapid range. Our objectives were to investigate contribute the colonization, expansion, thicket formation an invasive, N‐fixing shrub, Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb. (Elaeagnaceae), a native, shrub Morella cerifera (L.) Small...
Old field succession has been reviewed extensively in many community settings; however, secondary maritime communities, especially forest and shrub communities is poorly understood. Maritime of the North American Atlantic coast are unique often fragmented ecosystems that provide critical stopover sites for migratory birds. Historical losses coupled with rising developmental pressures have created need conservation restoration to protect these globally rare communities. We examined by...
Despite being long-lived and massive, giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) J. Bucholz) are susceptible to erosion given their relatively shallow root structure. Human-caused soil compaction vegetation loss through social trails primary drivers of in sequoia groves, particularly for trees that near formal access roads. We develop a method observe quantify the near-tree impacts from park visitors relate overall amount use with ground cover impact parameters assess whether desired...