A5062368764- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Forest ecology and management
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
- Animal and Plant Science Education
- Advanced Statistical Methods and Models
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Leaf Properties and Growth Measurement
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Forest Management and Policy
- Botany and Geology in Latin America and Caribbean
- Remote Sensing in Agriculture
- Cocoa and Sweet Potato Agronomy
- Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Parental Involvement in Education
- Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
- Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
Virginia Commonwealth University
2018-2025
National Museum of Natural History
2023-2024
Smithsonian Institution
2023-2024
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
2015-2018
University of Puerto Rico System
2015-2018
University of Arizona
2009-2013
Seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) are located in regions with alternating wet and seasons, seasons that last several months or more. By the end of 21st century, climate models predict substantial changes rainfall regimes across these regions, but little is known about how individuals, species, communities SDTF will cope hotter, drier conditions predicted by models. In this review, we explore different scenarios may result ecological drought through lens two alternative hypotheses: 1) be...
Much ecological research aims to explain how climate impacts biodiversity and ecosystem-level processes through functional traits that link environment with individual performance. However, the specific climatic drivers of diversity across space time remain unclear due largely limitations in availability paired trait data. We compile analyze a global forest dataset using method based on abundance-weighted moments assess influences shapes whole-community distributions. Our approach combines...
Summary 1. Patterns of species co‐existence and diversity in plant communities remain an important research area despite over a century intensive scrutiny. To provide mechanistic insight into the rules governing diversity, community ecologists are increasingly quantifying functional trait values for found wide range communities. 2. Despite promise quantitative approach to ecology, we suggest that, along with examining variation across species, assessment within should also be key component...
Abstract Questions Are patterns of intra‐ and inter‐specific functional trait variation consistent with greater abiotic filtering on community assembly at high latitudes elevations, biotic low elevations? Locations Area de Conservación Guanacaste, C osta R ica; S anta atalina M ountains, A rizona; iskiyou O regon. Methods We measured woody plant species abundance a key associated competition for resources environmental tolerance (specific leaf area, SLA ) along elevational gradients in...
The relationship between tree height and diameter is fundamental in determining community ecosystem structure as well estimates of biomass carbon storage. Yet our understanding how allometry relates to climate whole organismal function limited. We used the Forest Inventory Analysis National Program database determine height-diameter allometries 2,976,937 individuals 293 species across United States. shape allometric was determined by comparing linear nonlinear functional forms. Mixed-effects...
Abstract Background The central thesis of plant ecology is that climate determines the global distribution vegetation. Within a vegetation type, however, finer‐scale environmental features, such as physical and chemical properties soil (edaphic variation), control patterns diversity distributions. Aims Here, we review literature to provide mechanistic framework for edaphic diversity. First, three examples where soils have known, prevalent effects on diversity: during formation, unusual in...
Summary A longstanding goal of ecology and conservation biology is to understand the environmental biological controls forest succession. However, patterns mechanisms that guide successional trajectories, especially within tropical forests, remain unclear. We collected leaf functional trait abiotic data across a 110‐year chronosequence dry in Costa Rica. Focusing on six key traits related resource acquisition competition, along with measures stand structure, we propose mechanistic framework...
Abstract A coordinated response to environmental drivers amongst individual functional traits is central the plant strategy concept. However, whether trait co-ordination observed at global scale occurs other ecological scales (especially within species) remains an open question. Here, for sapling communities of two tropical dry forest types in Costa Rica, we show large differences relative contribution species turnover and intraspecific variation their directional changes along a...
Summary Leaf habit has been hypothesized to define a linkage between the slow‐fast plant economic spectrum and drought resistance‐avoidance trade‐off in tropical forests (‘slow‐safe vs fast‐risky’). However, variation hydraulic traits as function of leaf rarely explored for large number species. We sampled branch functional 97 dry forest tree species from four sites investigate whether patterns trait varied consistently relation along ‘slow‐safe fast‐risky’ trade‐off. explained 0% 43.69%...
Abstract Aim To better understand the potential impact of climate change on butterfly assemblages across a tropical island, we model for taxonomic and functional homogenization determine climate‐ trait‐mediated shifts in projected species distributions. Location Puerto Rico. Methods We used thousands museum records diurnal Lepidoptera to current (1970–2000) forecast future (2061–2080) distributions combined these test homogenization. then quantified climatic‐mediated effects forecasted...
Abstract The availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) controls the flow carbon (C) among plants, soils, atmosphere, thereby shaping terrestrial ecosystem responses to global change. Soil C, N, P cycles are linked by drivers operating at multiple spatial temporal scales: landscape‐level variation in macroclimate soil geochemistry, stand‐scale heterogeneity forest composition, microbial community dynamics pore scale. Yet many biomes, we do not know which scales most biogeochemical...
Abstract Over the past three decades, there has been a concerted effort to study long‐term dynamics of tropical forests throughout world. Data regarding temporal trends in species diversity, composition, and species‐specific demographic rates have now amassed. Such data can be utilized test predictions roles environment stochasticity play driving forest dynamics. These analyses could further refined by quantifying functional composition diversity forests. For example, we only handful studies...
Abstract Disturbances play a central role in shaping biodiversity, influencing both community structure and ecosystem function. The responses of biodiversity to disturbance are inherently multidimensional, often leading shifts taxonomic composition, functional traits, evolutionary dynamics within biological communities. Unraveling these dimensions offers valuable insights into resilience how communities adapt under changing regimes. This study examines the immediate effects large‐scale...
Plants are expected to differentially allocate resources reproduction, growth, and survival in order maximize overall fitness. Life history theory predicts that the allocation of reproduction should occur at expense vegetative growth. Although it is known both organism size resource availability can influence life traits, few studies have addressed how dependencies growth variation supply jointly affect coupling between reproduction. In understand relationship context variability, we utilize...
Differences within a biological system are ubiquitous, creating variation in nature. Variation underlies all evolutionary processes and allows persistence resilience changing environments; thus, uncovering the drivers of is critical. The growing recognition that central to biology presents timely opportunity for determining unifying principles drive across levels organization. Currently, most studies consider focused at single level not integrated into broader perspective. Here we explain...
Abstract Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbioses support forest functioning globally, yet both the structure and function of ECM fungal communities in seasonally dry neotropical forests (SDTFs), known for extreme heterogeneity vegetation edaphic properties, remain under characterized. Here, we evaluated relative influences seasonal versus spatial variation community soils from four environmentally divergent SDTFs. We also assessed importance biotic abiotic drivers SDTF at regional scales, as well...
The ecological effects of large-scale climate change have received much attention, but the more acute form that results from local habitat alteration been less explored. When forest is fragmented, cut, thinned, cleared or otherwise altered in structure, climates and microclimates change. Such changes can affect herbivores both directly (e.g. through body temperature) indirectly host plant traits). We advance an eco-physiological framework to understand changing forests on herbivorous...
Background Specific leaf area (SLA) is a core trait within the economic spectrum that describes differences in plant performance and productivity. Research on sources of variation SLA has primarily focused climate. Much less known about across unusual edaphic environments, such as ultramafic soils.Aims To determine role soils driver variation.Methods We measured for dominant species paired non-ultramafic five biogeographically distinct regions around globe compared mean values to globally...
Abstract Environmental gradients have played a pivotal role in the history and development of plant ecology are useful for testing ecological evolutionary theory. Área de Conservación Guanacaste is spatio‐temporal mosaic forests that evolved continuously across elevation, topography, soil types, succession, annual inter‐annual climatic change. Studies diverse ACG shaped functional ecology, successional theory, community assembly, plant–herbivore interactions, among many other fields. In this...
Abstract A challenge Variation is ubiquitous in nature across all spatial and temporal scales underlies prominent ecological evolutionary theories. Although understanding the causes consequences of trait variation a central goal trait‐based ecology, scaling variance space time (variance scaling) unresolved. solution We argue that characterizing spatio‐temporal using combination power laws can elucidate role environmental variability potential mechanisms driving patterns. In particular,...