Biogeography and Environmental Change

Biogeography and Environmental Change Cluster

This research cluster practices what NASA calls “integrated earth system science.” It focuses on documenting, monitoring, and mitigating change in the patterns of plant and animal species and the habitats on which they depend in the face of human-induced environmental changes. These include alterations in climates and changes in land cover due to urban development and climate change. Our group studies these changes locally and in a variety of global environments using a combination of field work, botanical and soil lab work, natural and controlled experimentation, satellite and UAV based remote sensing, and statistical and GIS based analysis. The group’s work has been supported by various grants, largely from NSF. The group is notable for the degree of student involvement in all phases of data collection, analysis, interpretation, and publishing.

Faculty:

Laris, Rodrigue, Mills, Langdon