 |
- What
we do
- In the
Dovciak lab we study how global environmental change affects
the structure and function of terrestrial plant communities and ecosystems.
We are especially interested in the effects of changes in climate, land use/management,
and biogeochemical cycles (e.g., acid deposition) on plant community composition, diversity, and stability.
In our research we aim to advance ecological theory and to apply it
in improving the current practices in ecosystem management, restoration,
and nature conservation. We are interested in conceptual questions
rather then particular plant taxonomic groups or ecosystems; consequently,
our study objects range from forest trees to herbs to bryophytes and
occur in forest or grassland ecosystems ranging from the Pacific Northwest to the Appalachians in the eastern U.S. to the Capathian Mountains in Europe, and from the Adirondacks in the northern U.S. to the Sonora region in Mexico.
Our research broadly falls within the three following
areas:
Climate
forcing in plant communities: Implications for climate change
Global
climate
change has the potential to completely restructure contemporary plant
communities and impact virtually all fields of human existence, including
forestry, wildlife management, nature conservation, and agriculture.
Current knowledge of plant community relationships to climate stems
mostly from static "climate-envelope" studies and it is not
sufficient to accurately predict complex responses of plant communities
to climate change. Our research suggests that plant communities may
exhibit non-linear threshold behaviours as they respond to climate extremes
more so than to climate means (Dovciak
et al. 2005). In our work, we seek to further elucidate
the mechanisms by which climate controls plant communities, with the
ultimate goal of improving our ability to predict and adapt to the impacts
of global climate change.
- Plant
invasions & species spread: Mechanisms & patterns
- Changes
in climate or land-use, or introductions of non-native plants, frequently
lead to invasions and spatial spread/migrations of certain plant species
across adjacent plant communities. These invasions are of considerable
applied and theoretical interest because they can significantly alter
ecosystem function and the provision of ecosystem services by invaded
communities, as is well documented for some exotic invaders. The potential
of a plant population to invade the surrounding community and to spread
within it over time, depends on propagule
pressure and species traits of the invader, the properties of the
invaded community, environmental heterogeneity, and climate variability.
Our studies suggest that the spatial pattern and speed of spread depend
on subtle interactions rather than on any singular factor
(Dovciak et al.
2005, Dovciak
et al. 2008). Our goal is to clarify how these interactions
may affect climate change induced migrations of plant species and
the invasive spread of non-native plants.
Forest
dynamics & biodiversity: Management & restoration implications
Forests
cover ~ 30% of total land area (FAO
2010) and harbor about two-thirds of all species on earth (World
Bank 2004), including many rare and threatened species. However, global
forest cover has been declining at alarming rates while the proportion
of managed forests has grown in recent decades (FAO
2010). These trends generally have negative impacts on biological
diversity and may also negatively affect ecological stability (Dovciak & Halpern 2010). However, the impacts of individual forest management practices
vary considerably and it is important to identify those practices that
minimize biodiversity loss (Dovciak
et al. 2006, Wiezik
et al. 2007).
Some forest management practices can be used effectively in forest restoration
to increase structural and biological diversity for example in dense
and homogenous secondary forest stands (Sprugel et al. 2009). In our studies we hope to increase
the understanding of the effects of various forest management and restoration
approaches on forest plant communities and forest biodiversity. We are
also interested in increasing our understanding of the drivers of the
population dynamics of ecologically and economically important or rare forest
species (e.g., Dovciak et
al. 2001, 2003; Alvarez-Yepiz et al. 2011).
Details
about our main research projects are here. |
