Research Interests
- Physiological ecology of plants
- Remote sensing of plant diversity and function
- Application of phylogenetic methods to ecology
- Evolution of plant function, environmental gradients and local adaptation
- Phylogeography and conservation
- Ecosystem services of trees
- Oaks as a model clade for integrating ecology and evolution
I am interested in how functional traits of plants link evolutionary history to current ecological processes. In particular I seek to understand how the evolutionary and biogeographic history of organisms influences community assembly, species composition and, hence, ecosystem function in the face of global change. Much of our work combines phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches with studies of plant physiological function to understand forces underlying shifts in stress tolerance among closely related species or among populations of the same species. Currently, my lab is focused on using remote sensing tools to link aboveground functional attributes of plants and their diversity to belowground processes as part of a large-scale effort to remotely sense biodiversity and ecosystem processes.
Lab photo - 2019
Bell Museum of Natural History - We meet the new University of Minnesota President, Joan Gabel
From left: Alejandra Villaseñor, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Clarissa Fontes, Gerard Sapés, Shan Kothari, Lucy Schroeder, Cathleen Lapadat
The Summary for Policymakers of the IPBES Americas Regional Assessment
Lab photo - 2018
Headwaters of the Mississippi River - Lake Itasca
Jeannine, Anna Schweiger, Josep Padulles, Shan Kothari, Jen Teshera-Levye, Jesus Pinto Ledezma
In the evening, Jen, as DM, led all of us through a round of Dungeons & Dragons
Lab photo - 2017
Fish Lake at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve
No snow at all on this year's retreat.
Anna Schweiger, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Jake Grossman, Jen Teshera-Levye, Beth Fallon, Xiaojing Wei, Isabella Armour, Jose (Dudu) Eduardo Meireles
Lab and friends x-c ski retreat 2016
St Croix State Park
Not much snow this year so we hiked instead.
Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Daniel Stanton, Shan Kothari, Anna Schweiger, Cathleen Nguyen
The Special Feature on Ecosystem service trade-offs across global contexts and scales based on our Distributed Graduate Seminar in Sustainability Science is out in Ecology and Society.
Lab Photo - 2015 Lake Itasca Biological Station
Back row: Vinicius da Silva, Dan Stanton, Dudu and Anna Meireles, Shan Kothari, Laura Williams
Front row: Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Elizabeth Deacon, Xiaojing Wei, Jose Ramirez-Valient, Nick Deacon, Frederick Deacon, Celine Bares and Graham Deacon
Lab Photo - 2014
Lake Itasca
Beth Fallon, Laura Williams, Xiaojing Wei, Celine Bares, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Matt Kaproth, Will Pearse, Jake Grossman, Jen Teshera-Levye
Lab Photo - 2013 Lake Itasca
Xiaojing Wei, Laura Williams, Jake Grossman, Matthew Kaproth, Celine Bares, Beth Fallon, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Will Pearse
Lab Photo - 2012
Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Anne Beulke, Beth Fallon, Laura Williams, Xiaojing Wei & Gina Quiram
Lab Photo - 2010 Lake Itasca
Gina Quiram, Alyson Center, Xiaojing Wei, Jessica Savage, Paul Gugger, & Jeannine Cavender-Bares
Lab Photo - 2006
Paul Gugger, Antonio Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Jessica Savage, Nick Deacon, Jeannine Cavender-Bares