Community (re)assembly

We combine fieldwork, satellite data, and code to test old ecological theories with new data.

 
Dense forest with tall trees, thick roots, and lush green foliage.

We study tropical biodiversity, especially at the edges - or ecotones - where dry forests meet rainforests and climate is shifting fastest.

We bring creative approaches to hard questions, working as a distributed lab across Puerto Rico, Virginia, and Costa Rica with support from an NSF CAREER award.

Collaborate

Our mission: The challenges facing science and society require bold, new approaches and perspectives. New approaches and perspectives emerge when we combine diversity, open science, and community. For this reason, our lab is centered around:

  1. diverse perspectives: together we positively challenge long-standing ecological theories, assumptions, and conventions; 

  2. data science and open science: these create opportunities for innovation and on-ramps for STEM careers; 

  3. building community: through meaningful collaborations that are respectful of diverse individual needs and contributions. 

Research

  • A foggy mountain landscape with dense green forest and a misty sky.

    Proyecto ALTA

    We are combining field data with global databases to understand shifting forest compositions across diverse temperate and tropical mountains.

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  • Tropical Phenology

    Phenology, the seasonality of natural systems, is dominated by temperate forest research. For this reason, we have no general theory to describe the incredible variation of tropical forest phenology.

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  • A sprig with green leaves and small dried flower buds on a white background.

    Unusual Soils

    Soils play a large and overlooked role in driving the world’s biodiversity. Using satellite imagery, geospatial data, and botanical records we are discovering how soils and climate interact to give rise to some of the world’s most diverse, strange, and seemingly uninhabitable ecosystems.

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