Spatial Analysis & Ecosystem Classification Faculty

Teaching emphasis is on the application of ecological knowledge to species conservation and ecosystem management. Research focuses on freshwater systems, with particular emphasis on streams and rivers. Current research includes geographic pattern of stream flow variability and its influence on fish communities in the Great lakes basin; and the land-water linkages that influence stream ecosystem function in human-altered drainage basins of southeastern Michigan. Home page: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~dallan/

Undergraduate and graduate teaching in forest ecology; landscape ecology; ecology, biology, and identification of Woody Plants. Research focuses on the theory and application of the landscape ecosystem approach. Studies emphasize spatial mapping of landscape ecosystems as the basis for conserving and managing ecosystems at multiple scales. Research on diversity of ecosystems and biota in upland, riverine, and wetland ecosystems. Specific areas include genetic and systematic studies of aspen species (genus Populus), worldwide and comparative studies of Chinese and North American forests and species of the temperate zone.

In her research role, Kathleen is an ecologist and remote sensing scientist who combines field data and methods with remotely sensed and other geospatial data to study the pattern and process of forest and landscape ecosystems. She also strives to build bridges between science and management and to work on collaborative projects. In a teaching role, she is responsible for NRE 441: Remote Sensing of Environment.

Research focuses on linking observable landscape patterns, obtained through remote sensing, ecological mapping, and digital terrain analysis, with ecological and social processes. Specific projects focus on the interacting social and ecological aspects of land use and cover change in rural and peri-urban environments using geostatistical and agent-based models and biotic and abiotic interactions at the alpine treeline ecotone. Home page: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~danbrown/

Terry Brown teaches in landscape architecture with emphasis on landscape planning, site engineering, and use of microcomputers in design. His research interests are focused on four areas: 1) demonstrating the role of aesthetic analysis in scenic management, 2) use of geographic information systems in land-use planning and aesthetic analysis, 3) Americans with Disabilities Act, universal design and landscape architecture, and 4) incorporating public participation in the design process.

Research on fundamental physiological processes in plant canopies. This research examines photosynthetic responses of trees to environmental perturbations, particularly elevated atmospheric CO2 and climate change drivers, and how these responses affect ecosystem processes. My work also focuses on processes and tools for scaling physiological phenomena to understand vegetation-atmosphere exchange and its dynamics over long time periods.

Sara's main interest in research is to understand ecological processes and population dynamics of aquatic organisms at the ecosystem level, in particular those aspects that are relevant to resource management. Recently she has been investigating spatial and temporal scales needed to study the spatial distribution of fish abundance and obtain indices of abundance of fish populations in marine ecosystem. Since fish, as other aquatic organisms, cannot be directly observed large scale population studies must rely on analysis of data from scientific surveys or commercial operations. The analysis of this information requires specialized statistical modeling. Her current focus is in the Great Lakes.

Teaching involves applied statistics, sampling, and modeling. Research focuses on methods for sampling mobile animal populations, methods for environmental data analysis where data sets are large and observations are not independent, and ecological risk assessment.

With a background in both landscape architecture and planning, my professional practice and academic work reflects the natural connection between these two disciplines. SNRE allows me the opportunity to collaborate with other social and natural scientists and thus further enhance the interdisciplinary nature of my work.

Paul studies the quantification and modeling of surficial, hydrological and geochemical processes in watersheds. Much of this effort is focused on developing better models for predicting nonpoint source pollution and evaluating the impact that climate and land use change have on rivers and streams. His teaching interests include hydrology and Geographical Information Systems.

Teaching includes courses in fish ecology and fisheries science. Recent research includes exotic species impacts on aquatic food webs and predator-prey dynamics; understanding environmental factors influencing fish spawning, growth and survival; consequences of dam removal or altering hydropower operations for fish habitat and production; use of GIS to classify and map Great Lakes fish habitats; use hydrodynamic circulation models and satellite imagery to understand effects of climate variability on advection and survival of fish eggs and larvae. Home page: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~edwardr/

Behavioral and community ecology of birds; interspecific associations in mixed-species aggregations; social behavior of territorial birds; probability models and variability in biological systems; compositional data analysis; nonlinear estimation; assessment and testing of dynamic models.

Teaching involves general aquatic and stream/river ecology. Research interests include ecology of rivers and lakes, watershed management, community dynamics and population regulation, trout stream food webs, behavioral adaptations of aquatic insects, fish invertebrate interactions, and fisheries management. Home page: http://personal.www.umich.edu/~mjwiley/