Plants are changing when and how they grow in response to climatic changes with cascading impacts on their community structure, the communities of other organisms, and the ecosystem functions plants support. Broadly, my work explores how changes such as shifting snowmelt dates alter communities and ecosystem function within and across seasons. I will leverage a large-scale snowmelt manipulation experiment at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado to further our understanding of how shifting snowmelt may alter plant communities across a season.

Specifically, I will explore how above-ground biotic (plant productivity, NDVI, leaf traits, and community composition), below-ground biotic (root productivity, and root traits), and abiotic conditions (air and soil temperature, soil moisture, and soil nutrients) influence ecosystem function (Net Ecosystem Carbon Exchange, Gross Primary Productivity, Ecosystem Respiration) seasonally and if and how changes in snowmelt date disrupt the effects. This coupled observational and experimental approach will enable me to answer the question: How do differences in snowmelt date influence net ecosystem exchange and what role do shifts in plant communities and abiotic conditions play in the response of NEE? Photo cred: RMBL Winter Caretakers.

Researchers Involved: