Research

Research Themes

I study how rangeland systems adapt to disturbance, climate change, and human pressures across multiple timescales. My work integrates paleoecology, biomarker chemistry, biogeography, and rangeland science to reconstruct past ecological dynamics and understand their relevance for contemporary land management. 

My research is guided by three interrelated themes:

1. Disturbance, Heterogeneity, and Rangeland Adaptation

Rangelands are highly dynamic systems that are shaped by fire, herbivory, and climate variability. My research explores how spatiotemporal variability governs ecosystem resilience and valued functions, including soil carbon persistence. I frame rangelands as adaptation reserves: heterogeneous landscapes that support persistence and flexibility in a changing world.

Projects:

• Heterogeneity-based management for climate adaptation and mitigation in global rangelands

• Characterizing spatial and temporal variability of consumer domains

• Mechanisms of soil and vegetation change at grassland-forest transitions

2. Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction, Biocultural Landscapes, and Resource Persistence

I develop and apply biomolecular proxies, including fecal steroids in lake sediments, to reconstruct the abundance and identity of past herbivores. These methods extend rangeland ecology thousands of years into the past, enabling new perspectives on community dynamics, resource persistence, and human-herbivore interactions.

I am building internal lab capacity to support:

• Molecular fingerprinting of fauna

• Long-term reconstructions of herbivore communities and disturbance regimes

• Integration of biomarkers with pollen, charcoal, and climate data from sediments

Projects:

• Steroid biomarker characterization across wild and domestic taxa of North America

• Soil carbon age structure and taphonomic bias modeling

• Megafaunal turnover, bison persistence, and human-bison coexistence

3. Translating Deep History to Contemporary Rangeland Management

I work with managers, agencies, and interdisciplinary teams to apply long-term insights to today's challenges in rangeland stewardship. This includes:

• Framing rangeland resilience in terms of heterogeneity and flexibility

• Supporting grazing and fire strategies informed by historical regimes

• Identifying and developing indicators for use in restoration and policy