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My research in New Mexico and
previous studies in California are designed to
understand the ecology and nutrient cycling
dynamics of shrub-dominated deserts. At the Jornada
Basin LTER site in southern New Mexico, I work with
a group of scientists studying the causes and
consequences of desertification and the response of
desert shrublands to environmental change.
Desertification of the Jornada Basin followed
introduction of cattle in the late1800's and has
led to the replacement of perennial grasslands by
shrublands. The stability of these recent
shrublands in response to a changing climate
(amount and seasonally of precipitation) will
depend on the physiology and ecology of the shrubs
and on plant-soil interactions mediated through
litter decomposition and soil biota. Results from
these field studies are incorporated into
simulation models developed by James F. Reynolds at
Duke University to predict the response of deserts
to climate change and management. A key objective
of this work is to better understand the stability
of recently desertified habitats and the linkages
between deserts and global scale processes. I am
also interested in problems associated with the
restoration of aridlands.
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Resultant
Publications
Field
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Undergraduate
Research 
