John C. StellaAssociate Professor

344 Illick Hall
1 Forestry Drive
Syracuse, NY 13210

315-470-6536 | 315-470-4902
stella@esf.edu

I am recruiting one PhD student for a funded project on aridland riparian ecology for Spring or Summer 2019. For more info, see here. To learn about ESF's graduate programs, please visit THE GRADUATE SCHOOL at SUNY-ESF. You can read more about my research and lab group at the links below.

Research Homepage
Stella CV

I am not currently accepting new masters level graduate students for Fall 2019.

Highest Education

Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley (Environmental Science, Policy and Management), 2005

Areas of Study

Riparian and stream ecology; plant ecohydrology and dendroecology; aridland and Mediterranean ecosystems; river corridor restoration.

Courses Taught

Watershed Ecology and Management (FOR 442/642, Fall)
Quantitative Methods and Models in R (FOR 796/EFB 796, Fall of alternate years)
Data Management and Archiving (FOR 796/EFB 796, Spring of alternate years)
Restoration Ecology (FOR 607)
Seminar in Hydrological and Biogeochemical Processes (FOR 797, Spring)
Seminar on Climate Change Effects on Natural Resources (FOR 797)

Current Graduate Advisees

Lissa Pelletier
lpelleti@syr.edu

Degree Sought: MS
Graduate Advisor(s): Stella
Area of Study: Ecosystem Restoration

Michael Rosenthal
mrosen05@syr.edu

Degree Sought: MS
Graduate Advisor(s): Farrell and Stella
Area of Study: Conservation Biology
Undergraduate Institution: Cornell University

Links
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrrosenthal/ ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael_Rosenthal3

Graduate Research Topic
My research examines the effects that beavers' tree felling activities has upon small rodent, weasel, shrew and bat biodiversity and habitat selection.

Jared Williams
jwilli64@syr.edu

Degree Sought: MS
Graduate Advisor(s): Stella
Area of Study: Water & Wetland Resource Studies

Rachel Zevin
razevin@syr.edu

Degree Sought: MS
Graduate Advisor(s): Stella
Area of Study: Water & Wetland Resource Studies
Undergraduate Institution: University of Vermont

Links
Web Link

Personal Statement
Rachel Zevin, a passionate environmentalist, joined the Stella lab in the summer of 2017. After deciding as a child to dedicate her life to the protection of nature, Rachel attended the University of Vermont, where she graduated with multiple honors (Rubenstein School Honors and as an Honors College Scholar). She majored in Natural Resource Ecology and minored in Geospatial Technologies. While in undergrad, Rachel performed independent research (thesis titled, “Effect of wind disturbance intensity on Carabidae assemblages”) for UVM's Forest Ecosystem Health lab. In addition, she worked for the Watershed Alliance of the Lake Champlain Basin Program and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, educating water ecosystem health and science. Since graduating, Rachel has worked as a GIS technician for the State of Vermont's Agency of Agriculture and the New England Division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Rachel is thrilled to have joined the Stella Lab. Her research goals are to create geospatial models to predict areas well-suited for beaver occupancy in the Adirondack Mountains and then further predict whether beaver occupancy would be detrimental to nearby humans. This will be done using a combination of field data, collected by Rachel and other past and present members of the Stella Lab, and geospatial data products. To contact Rachel email razevin@syr.edu.

Graduate Research Topic
Rachel Zevin's graduate research project is to create geospatial models to predict areas well suited for beaver occupancy in the Adirondack Mountains and then further predict whether beaver occupancy would be detrimental to nearby humans.

Favorite Quote
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." ~ Dr. Suess, The Lorax

Current and Former Undergraduate Researchers

Mike Mahoney (B.S. in Forest Ecosystem Science, Fall 2018) is an undergraduate student in the Stella Lab working on his honors thesis. He is interested in the larger role beavers play within forest ecosystems, both from an ecological and a natural resources management perspective. He is studying how beaver foraging impacts forest health, including aspects of both forest structure and non-monetary values such as aesthetics and tree architecture.

Giselle Schreiber (B.S. in Environmental Science major with Marine Science minor, Spring 2018) completed her senior capstone project on the influence of several abiotic factors (temperature, precipitation, sediment depth, etc.) on the growth rate of Populus fremontii (Fremont cottonwood), a keystone riparian tree species in the Sacramento River Valley of California. She was raised in Miami, Florida and has experience working with freshwater and marine fish and invertebrates.

Will Fernandez (B.S. in Environmental Science major, Spring 2018) completed his senior capstone project on the impacts of beaver on riparian forest communities surrounding lakes at the Huntington Wildlife Forest in the central Adirondacks.

Margaret (“Maisie”) Baronian (B.S. in Environmental Science major with Mathematics minor, Spring 2018) focused her senior capstone project on how seasona precipitation events impact instream conductivity levels in an urban stream. Conductivity concentrations in streamwater can be used as an indicator for road salt, which is widely applied in the region as a de-icer in winter. She used the statistical software R to model hydrologic conditions in Meadowbrook Creek in Syracuse, NY, using data collected from automated stream gauges.

Publications (* indicates student author)

Kui, L., J.C. Stella, R. M. Diehl, A.C. Wilcox, A. Lightbody, L.S. Sklar. (in review) Can environmental flows reduce riparian invasions? The influence of seedling morphology and density on scour losses in experimental floods.

Matzek, V., J.C. Stella, P. Ropion. (in review) Development of a carbon calculator tool for riparian restoration.

Thorel, M., H. Piégay, C. Barthélémy, B. Räpple*, C-R Gruel*, P. Marmonier, T. Winiarsky, J-P Bedell, F. Arnaud*, G. Roux, J.C. Stella, G. Seignemartin*, A. Tena-Pagan, V. Wawrzyniak*, D. Roux-Michollet, B. Oursel, S. Fayolle, C. Bertrand*, E. Franquet. 2018. Socio-environmental stakes associated with process-based restoration strategies in large rivers: should we remove novel ecosystems along the Rhône (France)? Regional Environmental Change DOI: 10.1007/s10113-018-1325-7

Räpple, B.*, H. Piégay, J.C. Stella, D. Mercier*. 2017. What drives riparian vegetation establishment in river channels at patch to corridor scales? Insights from annual airborne surveys (Drôme River, SE France). Ecohydrology DOI: 10.1002/eco.1886

Kui, L.*, J.C. Stella, P.B. Shafroth, P.K. House, A.C. Wilcox. 2017. The long-term legacy of geomorphic and riparian vegetation feedbacks on the dammed Bill Williams River, Arizona, USA. Ecohydrology DOI:10.1002/eco.1839

Ledford, S.H.*, L.K. Lautz, P.G. Vidon, J.C. Stella. 2017. Impact of seasonal changes in stream metabolism on nitrate concentrations in an urban stream. Biogeochemistry DOI:10.1007/s10533-017-0336-7

Diehl, R.M., A.C. Wilcox, J.C. Stella, L. Kui*, L. Sklar, A. Lightbody. 2016. Fluvial sediment supply and pioneer woody seedlings as a control on bar-surface topography. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms DOI:10.1002/esp.4017 [pdf]

Hultine, K.R., K.C. Grady, T.E. Wood, S.M. Shuster, J.C. Stella, T.G. Whitham. 2016. Climate change perils for dioecious plant species. Nature Plants. DOI:10.1038/nplants.2016.109 [pdf]

Ledford, S.H.*, L.K. Lautz, J.C. Stella. 2016. Hydrogeologic processes impacting storage, fate, and transport of chloride from road salt in urban riparian aquifers. Environmental Science and Technology 50: 4979–4988 DOI:10.1021/acs.est.6b00402 [pdf]

Kui, L.* and J.C. Stella. 2016. Fluvial sediment burial increases mortality of riparian tree seedlings but induces compensatory growth response in survivors. Forest Ecology and Management, 366. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2016.02.001 [pdf]

Bywater-Reyes, S.*, A.C. Wilcox, J.C. Stella, and A.F. Lightbody. 2015. Flow and scour constraints on uprooting of pioneer woody seedlings, Water Resources Research, 51. DOI:10.1002/2014WR016641 [pdf]

Dixon, M.D. and J.C. Stella. 2015. Temporal variability in hydrology modifies the influence of geomorphology on wetland distribution along a desert stream: a commentary on Dong et al. 2015. Journal of Ecology. DOI:10.1111/1365-2745.12499 [pdf]

Bishop, D.A.*, C.M. Beier, N. Pedersen, G.B. Lawrence, J.C. Stella, T.J. Sullivan. 2015. Regional growth decline in sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and potential causes. Ecosphere. DOI:10.1890/ES15-00260.1 [pdf]

Manners, R., A.C. Wilcox, L. Kui*, A. Lightbody, J.C. Stella, L. Sklar. 2015. When do plants modify fluvial processes? Plant-hydraulic interactions under variable flow and sediment supply rates. Journal of Geophysical Research – Earth Surface. DOI:10.1002/2014JF003265 [pdf]

Kui, Li*, J.C. Stella, A. Lightbody, A.C. Wilcox. 2014. Ecogeomorphic feedbacks and flood loss of riparian tree seedlings in meandering channel experiments. Water Resources Research. 50, DOI: 10.1002/2014WR015719 [pdf]

Dufour, S., M.K. Hayden*, J.C. Stella, H. Piégay, J.J. Battles. 2014 Maintaining channel abandonment processes increases riparian plant diversity within fluvial corridors. Ecohydrology. DOI: 10.1002/eco.1546 [pdf]

Riddle, J., N. Pedersen, J.C. Stella, D.L. Leopold. 2014. Shifting climate sensitivity and contrasting growth trends in Juniperus species growing together at opposite range margins. Tree-Ring Research 70:101–111. DOI: 10.3959/1536-1098-70.2.101 [pdf]

Stella, J.C., J. Riddle*, H. Piégay, M. Gagnage*, M-L. Trémélo. 2013. Climate and local geomorphic interactions drive patterns of riparian forest decline along a Mediterranean Basin river. Geomorphology. DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2013.01.013 [pdf]

Bendix, J., and J.C. Stella. 2013. Riparian Vegetation and the Fluvial Environment: A Biogeographic Perspective. In Treatise on Geomorphology 12: Ecogeomorphology (D. Butler and C. Hupp, Eds.). Elsevier, San Diego. [pdf]

Stella, J.C., P. Rodríguez-González, S. Dufour, J. Bendix. 2013 Riparian vegetation research in Mediterranean-climate regions: common patterns, ecological processes, and considerations for management. Hydrobiologia. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-012-1304-9 [pdf]

Eallonardo, A. S.*, D.J. Leopold, J.D. Fridley and J.C. Stella. 2012. Salinity tolerance and the decoupling of resource axis plant traits. Journal of Vegetation Science. DOI: 10.1111/j.1654-1103.2012.01470.x [pdf]

Singer, M.B., J.C. Stella, S. Dufour, L.B. Johnstone*, H. Piégay, and R.J.S. Wilson. 2012. Contrasting water uptake and growth responses to drought in co-occurring riparian tree species. Ecohydrology. DOI: 10.1002/eco.1283 [pdf]

Beier C.M., Stella J.C., Dovçiak M., McNulty S.A. 2012. Local climatic drivers of changes in phenology at a boreal-temperate ecotone in eastern North America. Climatic Change DOI: 10.1007/s10584-012-0455-z [pdf]

Schifman, L.A.*, J.C. Stella, M. Teece and T.A. Volk. 2012. Plant growth and water stress response of hybrid willow (Salix spp.) among sites and years in central New York. Biomass & Bioenergy. Published online 16 Nov. 2011; DOI:10.1016/j.biombioe.2011.10.042 [pdf]

Stella, J.C., J.D. Riddle, J.J. Battles, M.K. Hayden*, and A.K. Fremier. 2012. Riparian forest dynamics on a large, regulated river (California, USA): impacts and implications for management. Proceedings of the Integrative Sciences and Sustainable Development of Rivers (IS Rivers) Conference, Lyon, France, 26–28 June 2012. [pdf]

Stella, J.C., M.K. Hayden*, J.J. Battles, H. Piégay, S. Dufour, and A.K. Fremier. 2011. The role of abandoned channels as refugia for sustaining pioneer riparian forest ecosystems. Ecosystems 14: 776-790. [pdf]

Harper, E.B., J.C. Stella, A.K. Fremier. 2011. Global sensitivity analysis for complex ecological models: a case study of riparian cottonwood population dynamics. Ecological Applications 21: 1225-1240. DOI:10.1890/10-0506.1 [pdf]

Downs, P.W., M.S. Singer, B.K. Orr, Z.E. Diggory, T.C. Church, and J.C. Stella. 2011. Restoring ecological integrity in highly regulated rivers: The role of baseline data and analytical references. Environmental Management 48:847-864. DOI: 10.1007/s00267-011-9736-y [pdf]

Stella, J.C., and J.J. Battles. 2010. How do riparian woody seedlings survive seasonal drought? Oecologia 164:579–590. DOI 10.1007/s00442-010-1657-6 [pdf]

Stella, J.C., J.J. Battles, J.R. McBride, B.K. Orr. 2010. Riparian seedling mortality from simulated water table recession, and the design of sustainable flow regimes on regulated rivers. Restoration Ecology 18: 284-294. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-100X.2010.00651.x [pdf]

Rodríguez-González, P.M., J.C. Stella, F. Campelo, T. Ferreira, A. Albuquerque. 2010. Subsidy or stress? Tree structure and growth in wetland forests along a hydrological gradient in southern Europe. Forest Ecology and Management 259: 2015–2025. [pdf]

Stella, J.C., J.J. Battles, B.K. Orr, J.R. McBride. 2006. Synchrony of seed dispersal, hydrology and local climate in a semi-arid river reach in California. Ecosystems 9:1200-1214. [pdf]

Stella, J.C., J.C. Vick, B.K. Orr. 2004. Riparian vegetation dynamics on the Merced River. The Wilderness Society Riparian Floodplains Conference Proceedings.Sacramento, California. March 2001.[pdf]