RESEARCH

COMMUNITY ECOLOGY

I am interested in how and why communities assemble as they do. Using a variety of systems, I explore how species and environmental traits interact to result ecological communities. I explore these phenomena at a variety of scales in the field ranging from natural mesocosms to elevational and latitudinal gradients.

PHYSIOLOGY

Increasing occurrence of climatic anomalies such as temperature extremes put animals at risk. Most at risk are tropical ectotherms which have narrow thermal tolerances.

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Using butterflies as a model system, I study what traits - both of the individual butterfly and the environment - impact temperature tolerance. I explore the interaction between butterfly coloration, for example, and its environment, how those interactions determine the recovery of butterflies from temperature shocks, and what that means for the future of ecological communities based on climate change and landscape management. 

CONSERVATION

Biodiversity globally is threatened by climate change and habitat loss among other natural and anthropogenic stressors. I am interested in how to manage tropical landscapes in a way that permits movement of animals while maintaining the necessary productivity to allow for food security and the well being of the stewards of the land.

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I study the effects of forest conversion (primarily to pasture) on communities of insects, their ability to navigate novel landscapes, and their ecological interactions.