How does disturbance impact an Afrotropical forest?
My dissertation research is primarily concerned with plant community ecology - how species interact with each other and function within their environment. My project focuses on the impacts of selective logging in Gabon. I aim understand how selective logging - a widespread, but localized disturbance - alter regeneration and thereby change composition, structure, and function of seedling, sapling, and mature tree communities in tropical rain forest. I have set up vegetation monitoring plots in Gabon across a chronosequence of logged forest and plan to use seedling dynamics data and trait-based ecology to understand how these tropical forest communities are responding to selective logging across a chronosequence of selectively logged forests.
Prior to graduate school, I worked at the Ipassa Research Station (Makokou, Gabon) and contributed to several research projects at the Poulsen Lab (Duke University). The results from one of these projects, examining how elephants can affect the structure and diversity of plants around elephant-dispersed tree species, can be found here.
Prior to graduate school, I worked at the Ipassa Research Station (Makokou, Gabon) and contributed to several research projects at the Poulsen Lab (Duke University). The results from one of these projects, examining how elephants can affect the structure and diversity of plants around elephant-dispersed tree species, can be found here.
How do plant traits vary across environmental gradients?
I am broadly interested in how plant traits vary across environmental gradients and how these patterns affect the structure and function of plant communities.
I have been exploring this question through a current project that explores macroecological patterns of leaf trait variation across precipitation and temperature gradients in the Brazillian Cerrado. To see our results on how drip-tips incidence in Cerrado species is affected by climate and species distribution, read our paper here.
Previously, I contributed to a project collecting plant trait data across an elevation gradient in the Gongga Mountains (Sichuan, China). You can find our data paper here.
I have been exploring this question through a current project that explores macroecological patterns of leaf trait variation across precipitation and temperature gradients in the Brazillian Cerrado. To see our results on how drip-tips incidence in Cerrado species is affected by climate and species distribution, read our paper here.
Previously, I contributed to a project collecting plant trait data across an elevation gradient in the Gongga Mountains (Sichuan, China). You can find our data paper here.
