Breadcrumb

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
Insights from a Cross-Disciplinary Seminar: 10 Pivotal Papers for Ecological Restoration
Eitzel MV; Diver S; Sardinas H; Hallett LM; Olson JJ; Romero A; Oliveira GDLT; Schuknecht AT; Tidmore R; Suding KN...
- Eitzel MV
- Diver S
- Sardinas H
- Hallett LM
- Olson JJ
- Romero A
- Oliveira GDLT
- Schuknecht AT
- Tidmore R
- Suding KN
Publication Date: 2012-03-01
Type: Journal Article
The Abundance of Pink-Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs in the Root Zone of Plant Species in Invaded Coastal Sage Scrub Habitat
Publication Date: 2012-02-24
Type: Journal Article
Phenological Changes in Alpine Plants in Response to Increased Snowpack, Temperature, and Nitrogen
Publication Date: 2012-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Dealing with Complexity and Extreme Events Using a Bottom-Up, Resource-Based Vulnerability Perspective
Type: Chapter
Co-occurrence patterns of plants and soil bacteria in the high-alpine subnival zone track environmental harshness
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Patterns of trait convergence and divergence among native and exotic species in herbaceous plant communities are not modified by nitrogen enrichment
Publication Date: 2011-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Seed Supply, Recruitment, and Assembly: Quantifying Relative Seed and Establishment Limitation in a Plant Community Context
Publication Date: 2011-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Don't judge species on their origins
Davis M; Chew MK; Hobbs RJ; Lugo AE; Ewel JJ; Vermeij GJ; Brown JH; Rosenzweig ML; Gardener MR; Carroll SP...
- Davis M
- Chew MK
- Hobbs RJ
- Lugo AE
- Ewel JJ
- Vermeij GJ
- Brown JH
- Rosenzweig ML
- Gardener MR
- Carroll SP
Publication Date: 2011-06-09
Type: Journal Article
A test of the niche dimension hypothesis in an arid annual grassland
Publication Date: 2011-05-01
Type: Journal Article
Toward an Era of Restoration in Ecology: Successes, Failures, and Opportunities Ahead
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Contrasting effects of hemiparasites on ecosystem processes: can positive litter effects offset the negative effects of parasitism?
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Niche complementarity due to plasticity in resource use: plant partitioning of chemical N forms
Publication Date: 2010-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Strong feeding preference of an exotic generalist herbivore for an exotic forb: a case of invasional antagonism
Publication Date: 2010-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Within-Year Soil Legacies Contribute to Strong Priority Effects of Exotics on Native California Grassland Communities
Publication Date: 2010-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Dealing With Complexity and Extreme Events Using a Bottom-Up, Resource-Based Vulnerability Perspective
Publication Date: 2010-02-01
Type: Conference Proceeding
Contrasting trait responses in plant communities to experimental and geographic variation in precipitation
Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Strain and vegetation effects on local limiting resources explain the outcomes of biotic interactions
Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Linking individual response to biotic interactions with community structure: a trait-based framework
Publication Date: 2009-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Effects of Nutrient Manipulations and Grass Removal on Cover, Species Composition, and Invasibility of a Novel Grassland in Colorado
Publication Date: 2009-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Threshold models in restoration and conservation: a developing framework
Publication Date: 2009-05-01
Type: Journal Article
RANK CLOCKS AND PLANT COMMUNITY DYNAMICS
Collins SL; Suding KN; Cleland EE; Batty M; Pennings SC; Gross KL; Grace JB; Gough L; Fargione JE; Clark CM...
- Collins SL
- Suding KN
- Cleland EE
- Batty M
- Pennings SC
- Gross KL
- Grace JB
- Gough L
- Fargione JE
- Clark CM
Publication Date: 2008-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Management of novel ecosystems: are novel approaches required?
Publication Date: 2008-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Restoration through reassembly: plant traits and invasion resistance
Publication Date: 2008-12-01
Type: Journal Article
The impact of invasion and subsequent removal of an exotic thistle, Cynara cardunculus, on CO2 and H2O vapor exchange in a coastal California grassland
Publication Date: 2008-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Scale-dependent responses of plant biodiversity to nitrogen enrichment
Publication Date: 2008-08-01
Type: Journal Article
Pages
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
Alumni
Outreach
---