1) Large-scale spatiotemporal population dynamics of forest-defoliating insects

I am interested in why population abundance tends to fluctuate synchronously across space and why the populations of many species exhibit cyclical "boom-or-bust" dynamics.  I have been working on these questions by investigating spatial and temporal patterns in the outbreaks of forest-defoliating insects to study the roles of underlying biotic (e.g., natural enemies) and abiotic (e.g., Moran effects induced by weather) drivers.

2) The interface between population ecology and conservation

I have long been fascinated by areas of spatial population ecology that inform conservation such as metapopulation dynamics and the influence of landscape structure on extinction risk. One of my current projects involves the roles of regional- and global-scale changes in the spatial synchrony in population fluctuations and how these changes influence extinction risk.

3) Light pollution: ecological impacts

I examine the ecological impacts of light pollution (artificial light at night) through collaborations with graduate students and undergraduate participants in the NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Melissa Hey recently earned her Ph.D. examining effects of light pollution on ecosystem processes including primary production and decomposition. Ariel Firebaugh earned her Ph.D. studying how light pollution impacts the demography (dispersal and mating success) of bioluminescent fireflies. Undergraduate (REU) students have been examining the effects of light pollution on a wide variety of ecological processes.