Katharine Suding

Distinguished Professor • PI, Niwot Ridge LTER •
• Plant community ecology • Restoration and conservation • Invasion biology

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

katharine.suding@colorado.edu

303 735-3193

Visit the Suding Lab

Bio

Plant community ecology; restoration, invasion biology, environmental change, and conservation.

I am a plant community ecologist working at the interface of ecosystem, landscape and population biology. My goal is to apply cutting-edge “usable” science to the challenges of restoration, species invasion, and environmental change. My research group and I work with a range of conservation groups, government agencies and land managers to provide evidence-based solutions that take into account biodiversity, human well-being, and management opportunities. We employ a combination of long-term monitoring, modeling and experimental approaches in settings that range from alpine tundra to oak woodlands to grasslands. Common themes include plant-soil feedbacks, functional traits, species effects on ecosystem processes, and non-linear and threshold dynamics.

Visit the Suding Lab web site.

Education

PhD: University of Michigan, 1999
BS: Williams College, 1994

Awards

Highly Cited Researcher (2016-2019), Web of Science Group, 2019
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2018
MacArthur Award, Ecological Society of America, 2018
BFA Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarly and Creative Work, Boulder Faculty Assembly, 2018
Fellow, Ecological Society of America, 2016

Research

Visit the Suding Lab web site. We are plant community ecologists working at the interface of ecosystem, landscape and population biology. Our goal is to apply cutting-edge science to the challenges of restoration, invasion, and environmental change.

Publications

Recent publications

Adverse impacts of Roundup on soil bacteria, soil chemistry and mycorrhizal fungi during restoration of a Colorado grassland

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors:

de Mesquita CPB; Solon AJ; Barfield A; Mastrangelo CF; Tubman AJ; Vincent K; Porazinska DL; Hufft RA; Shackelford N; Sud...

de Mesquita CPB
Solon AJ
Barfield A
Mastrangelo CF
Tubman AJ
Vincent K
Porazinska DL
Hufft RA
Shackelford N
Suding KN

Published in: Applied Soil Ecology
Publication Date: 2022-12-30
Type: Journal Article

Climate disequilibrium dominates uncertainty in long-term projections of primary productivity

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Felton AJ; Shriver RK; Stemkovski M; Bradford JB; Suding KN; Adler PB

Published in: Ecology Letters
Publication Date: 2022-10-21
Type: Journal Article

Causes and consequences of differences in soil and seed microbiomes for two alpine plants

CU Boulder Authors: Schmidt, Steve; Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Luecke NC; de Mesquita CPB; Luong M; Schmidt SK; Suding KN; Crawford KM

Published in: Oecologia
Publication Date: 2022-10-12
Type: Journal Article

Four reasons why functional traits are not being used in restoration practice

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash; Van Cleemput, Elisa

All Authors: Merchant TK; Henn JJ; de Silva I; Van Cleemput E; Suding KN

Published in: Restoration Ecology
Publication Date: 2022-10-02
Type: Journal Article

Winters are changing: snow effects on Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems(1)

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash; Elmendorf, Sarah Claire

All Authors:

Rixen C; Hoye TT; Macek P; Aerts R; Alatalo JM; Anderson JT; Arnold PA; Barrio IC; Bjerke JW; Bjorkman MP...

Rixen C
Hoye TT
Macek P
Aerts R
Alatalo JM
Anderson JT
Arnold PA
Barrio IC
Bjerke JW
Bjorkman MP

Published in: Arctic Science
Publication Date: 2022-09-01
Type: Journal Article

Forest and Freshwater Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change and Variability at US LTER Sites

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors:

Campbell JL; Driscoll CT; Jones JA; Boose ER; Dugan HA; Groffman PM; Jackson CR; Jones JB; Juday GP; Lottig NR...

Campbell JL
Driscoll CT
Jones JA
Boose ER
Dugan HA
Groffman PM
Jackson CR
Jones JB
Juday GP
Lottig NR

Published in: Bioscience
Publication Date: 2022-08-16
Type: Journal Article

Ancient grasslands guide ambitious goals in grassland restoration

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Buisson E; Archibald S; Fidelis A; Suding KN

Published in: Science
Publication Date: 2022-08-05
Type: Journal Article

Global change re-structures alpine plant communities through interacting abiotic and biotic effects

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash; Elmendorf, Sarah Claire

All Authors: Collins CG; Elmendorf SC; Smith JG; Shoemaker L; Szojka M; Swift M; Suding KN

Published in: Ecology Letters
Publication Date: 2022-06-28
Type: Journal Article

Do trade-offs govern plant species' responses to different global change treatments?

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors:

Langley JA; Grman E; Wilcox KR; Avolio ML; Komatsu KJ; Collins SL; Koerner SE; Smith MD; Baldwin AH; Bowman W...

Langley JA
Grman E
Wilcox KR
Avolio ML
Komatsu KJ
Collins SL
Koerner SE
Smith MD
Baldwin AH
Bowman W

Published in: Ecology
Publication Date: 2022-04-17
Type: Journal Article

Seed bank bias: Differential tracking of functional traits in the seed bank and vegetation across a gradient

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Larson JE; Suding KN

Published in: Ecology
Publication Date: 2022-03-08
Type: Journal Article

The long and the short of it: Mechanisms of synchronous and compensatory dynamics across temporal scales

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors:

Shoemaker LG; Hallett LM; Zhao L; Reuman DC; Wang S; Cottingham KL; Hobbs RJ; Castorani MCN; Downing AL; Dudney JC...

Shoemaker LG
Hallett LM
Zhao L
Reuman DC
Wang S
Cottingham KL
Hobbs RJ
Castorani MCN
Downing AL
Dudney JC

Published in: Ecology
Publication Date: 2022-03-07
Type: Journal Article

Capacity for change: three core attributes of adaptive capacity that bolster restoration efficacy

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Dudney J; D'Antonio C; Hobbs RJ; Shackelford N; Standish RJ; Suding KN

Published in: Restoration Ecology
Publication Date: 2022-03-04
Type: Journal Article

Knowledge sharing for shared success in the decade on ecosystem restoration

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors:

Ladouceur E; Shackelford N; Bouazza K; Brudvig L; Bucharova A; Conradi T; Erickson TE; Garbowski M; Garvy K; Harpole WS...

Ladouceur E
Shackelford N
Bouazza K
Brudvig L
Bucharova A
Conradi T
Erickson TE
Garbowski M
Garvy K
Harpole WS

Publication Date: 2022-01-01
Type: Journal Article

Do plant-soil interactions influence how the microbial community responds to environmental change?

CU Boulder Authors: Schmidt, Steve; Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Brigham LM; de Mesquita CPB; Smith JG; Sartwell SA; Schmidt SK; Suding KN

Published in: Ecology
Publication Date: 2021-11-05
Type: Journal Article

Intra-annual precipitation effects on annual grassland productivity and phenology are moderated by community responses

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Shaw EA; White CT; Silver WL; Suding KN; Hallett LM

Published in: Journal of Ecology
Publication Date: 2021-10-27
Type: Journal Article

Nitrogen addition, not heterogeneity, alters the relationship between invasion and native decline in California grasslands

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Questad EJ; Fitch RL; Paolini J; Hernandez E; Suding KN

Published in: Oecologia
Publication Date: 2021-10-13
Type: Journal Article

The influence of life-history strategy on ecosystem sensitivity to resource fluctuations

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Felton AJ; Snyder RE; Shriver RK; Suding KN; Adler PB

Published in: Journal of Ecology
Publication Date: 2021-10-10
Type: Journal Article

Making research relevant: Sharing climate change research with rangeland advisors to transform results into drought resilience

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Dinan M; Adler PB; Bradford J; Brunson M; Elias E; Felton A; Greene C; James J; Suding K; Thacker E

Published in: Rangelands
Publication Date: 2021-10-01
Type: Journal Article

The intervention continuum in restoration ecology: rethinking the active-passive dichotomy

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Chazdon RL; Falk DA; Banin LF; Wagner M; J. Wilson S; Grabowski RC; Suding KN

Published in: Restoration Ecology
Publication Date: 2021-09-12
Type: Journal Article

Catchment-scale observations at the Niwot Ridge long-term ecological research site

CU Boulder Authors: Molotch, Noah Paul; Suding, Katharine Nash; Emery, Nancy C.; Elmendorf, Sarah Claire; Livneh, Ben; Johnson, Pieter; Hinckley, Eve-Lyn

All Authors:

Bjarke NR; Livneh B; Elmendorf SC; Molotch NP; Hinckley E-LS; Emery NC; Johnson PTJ; Morse JF; Suding KN...

Bjarke NR
Livneh B
Elmendorf SC
Molotch NP
Hinckley E-LS
Emery NC
Johnson PTJ
Morse JF
Suding KN

Published in: Hydrological Processes
Publication Date: 2021-09-01
Type: Journal Article

Water the odds? Spring rainfall and emergence-related seed traits drive plant recruitment

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Larson JE; Ebinger KR; Suding KN

Published in: OIKOS
Publication Date: 2021-08-27
Type: Journal Article

Nematode community diversity and function across an alpine landscape undergoing plant colonization of previously unvegetated soils

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash; Schmidt, Steve

All Authors: Porazinska DL; de Mesquita CPB; Farrer EC; Spasojevic MJ; Suding KN; Schmidt SK

Published in: Soil Biology and Biochemistry
Publication Date: 2021-08-17
Type: Journal Article

The spatial synchrony of species richness and its relationship to ecosystem stability

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors:

Walter JA; Shoemaker LG; Lany NK; Castorani MCN; Fey SB; Dudney JC; Gherardi L; Portales-Reyes C; Rypel AL; Cottingham K...

Walter JA
Shoemaker LG
Lany NK
Castorani MCN
Fey SB
Dudney JC
Gherardi L
Portales-Reyes C
Rypel AL
Cottingham KL

Published in: Ecology
Publication Date: 2021-08-12
Type: Journal Article

Drivers of seedling establishment success in dryland restoration efforts (Jul, 10.1038/s41559-021-01510-3, 2021)

CU Boulder Authors: Barger, Nichole; Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors:

Shackelford N; Paterno GB; Winkler DE; Erickson TE; Leger EA; Svejcar LN; Breed MF; Faist AM; Harrison PA; Curran MF...

Shackelford N
Paterno GB
Winkler DE
Erickson TE
Leger EA
Svejcar LN
Breed MF
Faist AM
Harrison PA
Curran MF

Published in: Nature Ecology and Evolution
Publication Date: 2021-07-28
Type: Journal Article

Biotic vs abiotic controls on temporal sensitivity of primary production to precipitation across North American drylands

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Felton AJ; Shriver RK; Bradford JB; Suding KN; Allred BW; Adler PB

Published in: New Phytologist
Publication Date: 2021-07-02
Type: Journal Article

Teaching

Courses

EBIO 6100: Graduate Seminar in Critical Transitions & Resilience
- It is increasingly clear that ecological systems, like many other complex systems, have critical thresholds at which they shift abruptly from one state to another--non-linear transitions that are abrupt and hard to reverse. We will explore the application of complexity theory to such issues as desertification in rangelands, dieback in coral reefs, and turbidly in lakes.

Current postdocs and students

Sam Ahler

PhD Student •
• Plant community ecology • Functional traits • Belowground dynamics • Restoration

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Visit the Suding Lab Advisor: Katharine Suding

sam.ahler@colorado.edu

Jonathan Henn

Postdoctoral Scholar •
• Alpine plant ecology

Visit Suding Lab Advisor: Katharine Suding I am a Postdoctoral Researcher working with Marko Spasojevic and Katie Suding to characterize long-term change in alpine plant communities. Overall, my research focuses on these issues to improve the restoration and management of ecosystems under rapidly changing conditions. I also actively work on developing effective mentoring, teaching, and outreach skills to help cultivate the next generation of scientists and engaged citizens. See more...

jonathan.henn@colorado.edu

Katya Jay

Postdoctoral Scholar •
• Plant ecology • Climate change

Visit the Suding Lab Advisor: Katharine Suding Bio Education PhD: Oregon State University, 2021 BS: Macalester College, 2016

katya.jay@colorado.edu

Thomas Merchant

PhD Student •
• Plant community ecology

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Advisor: Katharine Suding Specialties: plant community, ecosystem ecology, and global change; plant-microbial interactions; data science.

thomas.merchant@colorado.edu

Isabel de Silva

PhD Student •
• Plant community ecology • Riparian restoration • Climate change • Restoration ecology • Citizen science

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Visit the Suding Lab Advisor: Katharine Suding Bio I am a plant ecologist interested in the intersection of plant community ecology, functional traits, ecophysiology, and ecological restoration in the context of riparian systems. See my website for more about me and my research. Education BS: University of California, Berkeley, 2015 Research Publications Merchant, T. K., Henn, J. J., de Silva, I., Van Cleemput, E., and Suding, K. N., 2022: Four...

isabel.desilva@colorado.edu

Melinda Stueber

Bachelor's Accelerated Master's Student •
• Restoration ecology • Conservation biology • Landscape ecology

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Advisor: Katharine Suding

melinda.stueber@colorado.edu

Elisa Van Cleemput

Postdoctoral Scholar •
• Functional ecology • Plant invasion • Biodiversity • Remote sensing

Visit the Suding Lab Advisor: Katharine Suding Bio I am a plant community ecologist with strong focus on remote sensing techniques, and keen interest in understanding vegetation dynamics. During my PhD I investigated the potential of hyperspectral remote sensing for retrieving functional traits in grasslands, and obtaining insights into processes mediating plant invasion impacts. As my thesis built on interdisciplinary research that aims to bridge the remote sensing and plant...

elisa.vancleemput@colorado.edu

Caitlin White

PhD Student •
• Plant community ecology • Restoration ecology

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Advisor: Katharine Suding Research Publications Seastedt, T., White, C., Tucker, C., Beaury, E. M., Concilio, A., Gasarch, E., Haggans, V. J., Smith, J. G., 2020: Decadal dynamics of dry alpine meadows under nitrogen and phosphorus additions . Plant Ecology, 221(8): 647-658. DOI: 10.1007/s11258-020-01039-8 Balch, J. K., Iglesias, V., Braswell, A. E., Rossi, M. W., Joseph, M. B., Mahood, A. L., Shrum, T. R., White, C., Scholl, V. M., McGuire, B.,...

caitlin.t.white@colorado.edu

Alumni

See Suding Lab alumni.

Outreach

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News

Alpine wildflowers bloom on the tundra of Niwot Ridge. Photo by William Bowman.

$7.65 million grant to extend study of how climate change shapes life at 10,000 feet (CU Boulder Today)

Feb. 3, 2023

For more than 40 years, scientists from the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research program have worked to better understand high-alpine ecosystems in a warming world. Thanks to a new $7.65 million, six-year grant from the National Science Foundation, that work will continue, making Niwot Ridge LTER the longest-running NSF-funded program at CU Boulder.

A map shows where surface water samples were collected from the Coal Creek waterway shortly after the Marshall Fire.

Ongoing CU research explores impacts, solutions after Marshall Fire (CU Boulder Today)

Dec. 21, 2022

On Dec. 30, 2021, a fast-moving wildfire in suburban Boulder County became the costliest wildfire in Colorado history. It burned 6,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 homes and damaged thousands of others. The Marshall Fire also spurred researchers—many personally affected by the fire—to apply their expertise to the aftermath. A year later, dozens of ongoing research projects continue to explore the science behind the fire; its widespread impacts; and how we can mitigate future catastrophes in a changing climate.

Miles Moore and Jimmy Howe toss black sand onto a test plot on Niwot Ridge. Photo by Kelsey Simpkins, CU Boulder.

To study impacts of longer, hotter summers, ecologists haul 5,000 pounds of sand up a mountain (CU Boulder Today)

Sept. 12, 2022

For the past five years, a team of research assistants and volunteers have hiked up Niwot Ridge in late May to set the stage for a unique experiment in which they spread 5,000 pounds of black sand across portions of the remaining snowpack. Their goal is to simulate the near-future effects of a warming planet on alpine ecosystems.

3 faculty members headed out on Fulbright Program (CU Boulder Today)

Aug. 10, 2022

Katharine Suding is among three CU Boulder faculty members who received Fulbright fellowships to study internationally. Suding will travel to the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, to work on a project called Recovery, Resilience and the Ecology of Change.

Oft-overlooked grasslands build biodiversity, resilience over centuries (CU Boulder Today)

Aug. 4, 2022

Grasslands’ biodiversity and resilience to disturbances such as fire, heat and drought is the result of a slow process over hundreds of years, like that of old growth forests, finds new CU research led by INSTAAR Katharine Suding that was published today in Science. An implication of the research is that it's important to conserve grasslands that are still intact.

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Katharine Suding

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Education

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