land-use change

Field Assistant. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.

Field Assistant. Department of Biology. Toolik Lake Field Station, University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK.

I completed a Master's at the University of Illinois studying the role of asymmetric competition on largemouth bass recruitment.  During my time in Champaign,I also contributed to the development of a spatially-explicit food web model of the Upper Mississippi River.

I am currently developing an agent-based model of coupled natural and human ecosystems in the Southwest.  Specifically, I am modeling how changes in ecohydrology influence human decision-making.

I am interested in the biotic and abiotic drivers of ecosystem processes and in how to predict the response of ecosystems to changes in climate, resource availability, and biotic composition. By understanding which alterations in an ecosystem result in large differences in functioning we can provide better information to managers and policy-makers about how to maintain ecosystems while allowing for adaptation to unavoidable changes. I am particularly interested in wetlands and linkages between aquatic and terrestrial systems.

Since 1903, the Santa Rita Experimental Range (SRER) has provided scientists with a unique real-world laboratory. In his interview with the AZ Daily Star Professor Mitch McClaran, the Director of Research at SRER, discusses the 50,000 acre range's impact on the research of sustainable use of rangelands, wildlife, endangered species, and recreation.