Nichole Barger

Assistant Professor

nichole.barger@colorado.edu
303-492-8239
Ramaley N285

Ph.D., Colorado Sate University, 2003

Research Interests

As an aridlands ecologist, my research mission is to better understand the impacts of changing climate and land use on plant communities and soil resources in dryland ecosystems; research that crosses the boundaries of community, ecosystem, and landscape ecology. In my research program, I employ a variety of techniques in the fields of terrestrial plant ecology, soil biogeochemistry, and dendrochronology to address questions that not only further our knowledge of the structure and function of dryland ecosystems, but also address contemporary issues in sustainable restoration and management of these ecosystems.

Recent Publications

Hartley AE, Barger N.N., Belnap J., Okin G.S. 2007. Nutrient Cycling in Dryland Ecosystems.  In: Marschner P, Rengel Z (eds) Nutrient Cycling in Terrestrial Ecosystems. Series: Soil Biology, Volume 10, pp. 271-299 Springer Verlag.

Barger, N.N., J.E. Herrick, J.W. Van Zee, and J. Belnap. 2006. Impacts of biological soil crust disturbance and composition on C and N losses from water erosion. Biogeochemistry 77:247-263.

Barger, N.N., J. Belnap, D. S. Ojima , and A. Mosier. 2005. NO gas loss from biologically crusted soils in Canyonlands National Park , Utah . Biogeochemistry 75:373-391.

Belnap, J., Welter, J.K., N.B. Grimm, N.N. Barger, and J. Ludwig. 2005. Linkages between microbial and hydrologic processes in arid and semi-arid watersheds. Ecology 86: 298-307.

Barger, N.N., D.S. Ojima, J. Belnap, W. Shiping, W. Yanfen, Z. Chen. 2004. Changes in plant functional groups, litter quality, and soil C and N mineralization with sheep grazing in an Inner Mongolian grassland. Journal of Range Management 57:613-619.

Barger, N.N., C.M. D'Antonio, E. Cuevas, and T. Ghneim. 2003. Constraints to colonization of an African pasture grass ( Melinis minutiflora ) in a Venezuelan savanna. Plant Ecology 167:31-43.

Barger, N.N., C.M. D'Antonio, T. Ghneim, K. Brink, and E. Cuevas. 2002. Nutrient limitation to primary productivity in a secondary savanna in Venezuela . Biotropica 34:493-501.