Picture of Sarah Elmendorf
Research Associate •
• Plant ecology • Climate change • Tundra
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
sarah.elmendorf@colorado.edu

Visit Niwot Ridge LTER

Sarah uses long-term and multi-site data to understand ecological impacts of climate change, with a particular focus on phenology & tundra plant community ecology.

Education

  • PhD: University of California at Davis, 2008
  • MA: Wesleyan University, 1999
  • BA: Wesleyan University, 1998

 

Optimizing Available Network Resources to Address Questions in Environmental Biogeochemistry

CU Boulder Authors: Hinckley, Eve-Lyn; Elmendorf, Sarah Claire; Wieder, Will; Suding, Katharine Nash; Fierer, Noah; Bowman, Bill; SanClements, Michael; Neff, Jason C; Anderson, Suzanne Prestrud; Blanken, Peter David
All Authors:
Hinckley E-LS; Anderson SP; Baron JS; Blanken PD; Bonan GB; Bowman WD; Elmendorf SC; Fierer N; Fox AM; Goodman KJ...
  • Hinckley E-LS
  • Anderson SP
  • Baron JS
  • Blanken PD
  • Bonan GB
  • Bowman WD
  • Elmendorf SC
  • Fierer N
  • Fox AM
  • Goodman KJ
Published in: Bioscience
Publication Date: 2016-04-01
Type: Journal Article

The plant phenology monitoring design for The National Ecological Observatory Network

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors:
Elmendorf SC; Jones KD; Cook BI; Diez JM; Enquist CAF; Hufft RA; Jones MO; Mazer SJ; Miller-Rushing AJ; Moore DJP...
  • Elmendorf SC
  • Jones KD
  • Cook BI
  • Diez JM
  • Enquist CAF
  • Hufft RA
  • Jones MO
  • Mazer SJ
  • Miller-Rushing AJ
  • Moore DJP
Published in: Ecosphere
Publication Date: 2016-04-01
Type: Journal Article

Contrasting effects of warming and increased snowfall on Arctic tundra plant phenology over the past two decades

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors: Bjorkman AD; Elmendorf SC; Beamish AL; Vellend M; Henry GHR
Published in: Global Change Biology
Publication Date: 2015-12-01
Type: Journal Article

Climate sensitivity of shrub growth across the tundra biome

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors:
Myers-Smith IH; Elmendorf SC; Beck PSA; Wilmking M; Hallinger M; Blok D; Tape KD; Rayback SA; Macias-Fauria M; Forbes BC...
  • Myers-Smith IH
  • Elmendorf SC
  • Beck PSA
  • Wilmking M
  • Hallinger M
  • Blok D
  • Tape KD
  • Rayback SA
  • Macias-Fauria M
  • Forbes BC
Published in: Nature Climate Change
Publication Date: 2015-09-01
Type: Journal Article

Experiment, monitoring, and gradient methods used to infer climate change effects on plant communities yield consistent patterns (vol 112, pg 448, 2015)

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors:
Elmendorf SC; Henry GHR; Hollister RD; Fosaa AM; Gould WA; Hermanutz L; Hofgaard A; Jonsdottir IS; Jorgenson JC; Levesqu...
  • Elmendorf SC
  • Henry GHR
  • Hollister RD
  • Fosaa AM
  • Gould WA
  • Hermanutz L
  • Hofgaard A
  • Jonsdottir IS
  • Jorgenson JC
  • Levesque E
Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA
Publication Date: 2015-07-28
Type: Journal Article

Experiment, monitoring, and gradient methods used to infer climate change effects on plant communities yield consistent patterns

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors:
Elmendorf SC; Henry GHR; Hollister RD; Fosaa AM; Gould WA; Hermanutz L; Hofgaard A; Jonsdottir IS; Jorgenson JC; Levesqu...
  • Elmendorf SC
  • Henry GHR
  • Hollister RD
  • Fosaa AM
  • Gould WA
  • Hermanutz L
  • Hofgaard A
  • Jonsdottir IS
  • Jorgenson JC
  • Levesque E
Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA
Publication Date: 2015-01-13
Type: Journal Article

Global assessment of experimental climate warming on tundra vegetation: heterogeneity over space and time (vol 15, pg 164, 2012)

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors:
Elmendorf SC; Henry GHR; Hollister RD; Alatalo J; Bjoerk RG; Bjorkman AD; Callaghan TV; Collier LS; Cooper EJ; Corneliss...
  • Elmendorf SC
  • Henry GHR
  • Hollister RD
  • Alatalo J
  • Bjoerk RG
  • Bjorkman AD
  • Callaghan TV
  • Collier LS
  • Cooper EJ
  • Cornelissen JHC
Published in: Ecology Letters
Publication Date: 2014-02-01
Type: Journal Article

Phenological response of tundra plants to background climate variation tested using the International Tundra Experiment

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors:
Oberbauer SF; Elmendorf SC; Troxler TG; Hollister RD; Rocha AV; Bret-Harte MS; Dawes MA; Fosaa AM; Henry GHR; Hoye TT...
  • Oberbauer SF
  • Elmendorf SC
  • Troxler TG
  • Hollister RD
  • Rocha AV
  • Bret-Harte MS
  • Dawes MA
  • Fosaa AM
  • Henry GHR
  • Hoye TT
Published in: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Publication Date: 2013-08-19
Type: Journal Article

Plot-scale evidence of tundra vegetation change and links to recent summer warming

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors:
Elmendorf SC; Henry GHR; Hollister RD; Bjork RG; Boulanger-Lapointe N; Cooper EJ; Cornelissen JHC; Day TA; Dorrepaal E; ...
  • Elmendorf SC
  • Henry GHR
  • Hollister RD
  • Bjork RG
  • Boulanger-Lapointe N
  • Cooper EJ
  • Cornelissen JHC
  • Day TA
  • Dorrepaal E
  • Elumeeva TG
Published in: Nature Climate Change
Publication Date: 2012-06-01
Type: Journal Article

Global assessment of experimental climate warming on tundra vegetation: heterogeneity over space and time

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors:
Elmendorf SC; Henry GHR; Hollister RD; Bjork RG; Bjorkman AD; Callaghan TV; Collier LS; Cooper EJ; Cornelissen JHC; Day ...
  • Elmendorf SC
  • Henry GHR
  • Hollister RD
  • Bjork RG
  • Bjorkman AD
  • Callaghan TV
  • Collier LS
  • Cooper EJ
  • Cornelissen JHC
  • Day TA
Published in: Ecology Letters
Publication Date: 2012-02-01
Type: Journal Article

Shrub expansion in tundra ecosystems: dynamics, impacts and research priorities

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors:
Myers-Smith IH; Forbes BC; Wilmking M; Hallinger M; Lantz T; Blok D; Tape KD; Macias-Fauria M; Sass-Klaassen U; Levesque...
  • Myers-Smith IH
  • Forbes BC
  • Wilmking M
  • Hallinger M
  • Lantz T
  • Blok D
  • Tape KD
  • Macias-Fauria M
  • Sass-Klaassen U
  • Levesque E
Published in: Environmental Research Letters
Publication Date: 2011-12-01
Type: Journal Article

Can spatial isolation help predict dispersal-limited sites for native species restoration?

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors: Moore KA; Harrison SP; Elmendorf SC
Published in: Ecological Applications
Publication Date: 2011-09-01
Type: Journal Article

Is plant community richness regulated over time? Contrasting results from experiments and long-term observations

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors: Elmendorf SC; Harrison SP
Published in: Ecology
Publication Date: 2011-03-01
Type: Journal Article

Plant Competition and Facilitation in Systems with Strong Environmental Gradients

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors: Moore KA; Elmendorf SC
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Type: Chapter

Temporal variability and nestedness in California grassland species composition

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors: Elmendorf SC; Harrison SP
Published in: Ecology
Publication Date: 2009-06-01
Type: Journal Article

Use of Community-Composition Data to Predict the Fecundity and Abundance of Species

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors: Elmendorf SC; Moore KA
Published in: Conservation Biology
Publication Date: 2008-12-01
Type: Journal Article

Plant competition varies with community composition in an edaphically complex landscape

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors: Elmendorf SC; Moore KA
Published in: Ecology
Publication Date: 2007-10-01
Type: Journal Article

Contrasting plant physiological adaptation to climate in the native and introduced range of Hypericum perforatum

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors: Maron JL; Elmendorf SC; Vila M
Published in: Evolution
Publication Date: 2007-08-01
Type: Journal Article

Invasion in a heterogeneous world: resistance, coexistence or hostile takeover?

CU Boulder Authors: Melbourne, Brett Andrew; Elmendorf, Sarah Claire; Davies, Kendi F
All Authors:
Melbourne BA; Cornell HV; Davies KF; Dugaw CJ; Elmendorf S; Freestone AL; Hall RJ; Harrison S; Hastings A; Holland M...
  • Melbourne BA
  • Cornell HV
  • Davies KF
  • Dugaw CJ
  • Elmendorf S
  • Freestone AL
  • Hall RJ
  • Harrison S
  • Hastings A
  • Holland M
Published in: Ecology Letters
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Type: Journal Article

An introduced predator alters Aleutian Island plant communities by thwarting nutrient subsidies

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors: Maron JL; Estes JA; Croll DA; Danner EM; Elmendorf SC; Buckelew SL
Published in: Ecological Monographs
Publication Date: 2006-02-01
Type: Journal Article

Rapid evolution of an invasive plant

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire
All Authors: Maron JL; Vila M; Bommarco R; Elmendorf S; Beardsley P
Published in: Ecological Monographs
Publication Date: 2004-05-01
Type: Journal Article

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