Recently, I have been interested in the questions, “How are habitat loss and fragmentation effecting community structure, species persistence, and species distribution?”, “What community-level processes are being disrupted in modified habitats, and can we identify the mechanisms producing reshuffled communities?”, and “What traits predict susceptibility of certain species to habitat loss and fragmentation?”.

To answer these questions, I am conducting mensurative and manipulative field experiments in various fragmented ecosystems.  I am also examining species’ life histories in order to investigate patterns associated with species persistence in various habitat modification scenarios.  The conservation implications of these questions can address issues as simple as habitat requirements for single species (native or invasive) or as complex as mechanisms determining the fate of communities.