Postdocs
Laura Ladwig
Ecological communities are in constant flux. Organisms thr
ive and decline. Species come and go. Whole systems can be altered by a change in one aspect of the community, and as communities change, so too do the services they provide. Understanding what causes ecological communities to change and evaluating the consequences of said change are the basis of my research. The majority of my research revolves around plants. How plants respond to the environment, react to changing conditions, and influence the surrounding community. Plants are critical components of many food webs and have a large influence on the environment, so understanding how plants change informs us about the whole system.
Email: lmladwig [at] wisc.edu
Research Associates
Melissa Burt
I am the lead technician and project manager for the Corridor Project at the Savannah River Site, SC. Before joining the lab, I completed my Master’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee with Dr. Nate Sanders. I am generally interested in how drivers of global change affect community dynamics. My most recent research investigates the effects of corridors and edge effects on myrmecochory (seed dispersal by ants).
Email: melissa.ann.burt [at] gmail.com
Graduate Students
Jon Henn
I am interested in plant community assembly and how global changes are likely to affect it. My current research is focused on tall-grass prairies and combines plant functional traits with observational and experimental studies to better understand how plant community responses to environmental changes may be mediated by functional traits. Through my research I hope to inform management and restoration while learning about processes that affect plant communities.
Email: henn2 [at] wisc.edu
Stephanie McFarlane
I am interested in plant community assembly and restoration and related impacts on pollinators and pollination services. I am working to better understand how different management regimes affect restored tallgrass prairie plant and insect communities. This work is a collaboration between our lab and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) as well as Claudio Gratton and Jade Kochanski at UW-Madison.
Email: mcfarlane [at] wisc.edu
Quinn Sorenson
I focus on plant community ecology in the context of agricultural land-use history and habitat fragmentation in the U.S. Southeast longleaf pine ecosystem. I am interested in understanding how the legacies of agriculture on soil and belowground processes affect plant communities and restoration success. Within the Corridor Project, a well-replicated landscape experiment testing the effects of corridors, I am interested in how landscape connectivity affect the development of plant communities over time. I have a strong background in land management and restoration ecology in coastal sage scrub and grasslands of southern California. I hope to use my research to test ecological theory as well as inform conservation planning and restoration efforts.
Email: qsorenson [at] wisc.edu
Undergraduate Students
Shea Collins – Lead Research Technician
