Aaron's work is rooted in theory, concepts, and methods from ecology, biogeography, remote sensing and spatial analysis. Although his research has been rather broad, in the systems studied, approaches taken, and questions asked, there are several dominant themes. At the most basic level, he studies interactions between biological and physical systems, with particular emphasis on how these dynamics produce geographic patterns and temporal dynamics in the biosphere. Typically, he pursues his work using some combination of field data, remote sensing and other spatial data, environmental models, and quantitative analysis. Within this general context, he has focused his research on plant-water relations in California chaparral, ecosystem response to climate variability, patterns and causes of biodiversity, and habitat conservation. His research has spanned spatial scales from intercellular to global, but he gravitates towards what might be called "landscape" to "regional" scales. webpage.email.

Todd asks where and why species or groups of species (communities) occur - the ecology of biodiversity. His research helps us measure patterns of biodiveristy accurately, and then understand the relative contributions of ecological processes in shaping those patterns. This is no simple task. Patterns of species occurence are complex in space and time, so that even measuring where species are is difficult. Likewise, the processes that shape these distributions, which include habitat effects, competition, disturbance, history, and dispersal, interact in complex ways. webpage. email.

Amanda is broadly interested in species distributions through time and space. In particular, she asks questions about animal movement and dispersal, from the scale of a single individual up to species range dynamics over evolutionary time. Her research approach integrates field studies, laboratory experiments, and modeling, and she applies her work to basic problems in conservation. Her previous work has ranged from the impact of suburban sprawl on endangered stream fish to hybrid zone dynamics in spadefoot toads. As a SPIRE postdoctoral fellow, Amanda is also interested in science education at the undergraduate level, and she dedicates some of her time to pedagogical research. Finally, she has an inordinate fondness for non-charismatic cold-blooded animals. email.

Jennifer is broadly interested in landscape ecology and conservation. More specifically, her research interests include: (1) Landscape-scale plant community ecology; (2) The interactions between land use/land cover and ecological processes; (3) The effects of human land management on ecological processes. For her dissertation, she is studying restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem in the Onslow Bight, a landscape on North Carolina’s Coastal Plain. In this landscape, she is asking: How do management priorities and the landscape surrounding restored longleaf pine sites affect restoration outcomes? To address this question, she is combining a survey of stakeholders in the Onslow Bight with a spatial analysis of how landscape patterns at various scales relate to plant diversity. The result is an interdisciplinary study of ecological restoration in the landscape. webpage. email.

Bio coming soon...

Matt's primary research interests involve the application of GIS and remote sensing to better understand various ecological phenomena. He is particularly interested in using GIS to prioritize lands for conservation through suitability analysis and predictive modeling. He is involved with several different research projects. The Fort Bragg Project (SERDP) involves mapping habitat connectivity for multiple threatened and endangered animal species. His work experience in environmental consulting has highlighted the importance of land preservation that will ensure connectivity in the face of fragmentation. He has also explored the use of multiple resolutions of LiDAR data in mapping vernal pools and identifying potential breeding habitat for amphibians at Ft. Bragg. He is involved in a NASA funded endeavor that is using remotely sensed data in conjunction with ground-collected vegetation data (primarily the Carolina Vegetation Survey) to test and extend biodiversity paradigms. email.

Ian’s research regards the complex interplay between invasive species, ecosystem services, and global change. He is currently developing a dissertation proposal to study the properties of heavily invaded plant communities on the Galapagos Islands in collaboration with the UNC Galapagos Initiative. Ian will use techniques from plant functional ecology and a landscape-scale eco-hydrological model to assess ecosystem services provisioned from native-dominated and invasive-dominated plant communities. webpage. email.

Christine is exploring the spatial study of human-environment interactions and its applications to management planning and conservation.  She is interested in the influence of land-use change on ecosystem services and habitat in North America and Latin America. Her other research interests include collaborative and community-based management, sustainable outdoor recreation, indigenous knowledge, and land-use history. email.