Welcome to the EWU Plant Ecology Lab! We study plant community diversity and ecosystem function in a range of ecosystems, including riparia, Palouse Prairie, and the Channeled Scablands. Many of our projects involve restoration ecology and invasive species management.
Recent research includes:
- Restoring Palouse Prairie plant communities, including a 120 acre prairie restoration on the campus of Eastern Washington University
- Riparian vegetation response to dams and dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, location of the largest dam removal project undertaken to date
- Assessing how beaver affect riparian ecosystem function and resistance to wildfire
- Role of hydrochory (seed dispersal by water) in riparian systems and its restoration after dam removal
- Managing invasive species in Mima Mound prairies at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
- Assessing the relationship between invasive winter annual grasses, particularly Ventenata dubia, biological soil crust, climate, and disturbance in arid and semi-arid ecosystems like Eastern Washington
- Assessing the effect of invasive reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) monocultures in riparian zones on stream flow in semi-arid ecosystems
- Assessing soil microbiome effects and plant soil feedbacks in plant communities
