Jeannine
Cavender-Bares
Adjunct Professor
Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
Our ASCEND team (spectralbiology.org) focuses on the physiological and evolutionary dimensions of plant ecology that influence community assembly and ecosystem function. We are particularly interested in the genetic and evolutionary basis of variation in plant phenotypes and spectral properties that can advance remote sensing of biodiversity, particularly detecting change through time and its consequences for ecosystems. We are committed to advancing international efforts for global monitoring and assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services to aid management efforts towards sustainability.
Research statement
Jeannine’s work focuses on the physiological and evolutionary dimensions of plant ecology that influence community assembly and ecosystem function. She is particularly interested in the genetic and evolutionary basis of variation in plant phenotypes and spectral properties that can advance remote sensing of biodiversity, particularly detecting change through time and its consequences for ecosystems. She is committed to advancing international efforts for global monitoring and assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services to aid management efforts towards sustainability.
Selected publications
Williams, L. J., J. Cavender-Bares, P. A. Townsend, J. J. Couture, Z. Wang, A. Stefanski, C. Messier, and P. B. Reich. 2021. Remote spectral detection of biodiversity effects on forest biomass. Nature Ecology & Evolution 5:46-54.
Schweiger, A. K., J. Cavender-Bares, S. Kothari, P. A. Townsend, M. D. Madritch, J. J. Grossman, H. Gholizadeh, R. Wang, and J. A. Gamon. 2021. Coupling spectral and resource-use complementarity in experimental grassland and forest communities. bioRxiv:2020.2004.2024.060483.
Kothari, S., R. A. Montgomery, and J. Cavender-Bares. 2021. Physiological responses to light explain competition and facilitation in a tree diversity experiment. Journal of Ecology 109 (5), 2000-2018.
Cavender-Bares, J., P. B. Reich, P. A. Townsend, A. Banerjee, E. Butler, A. Desai, A. Gevens, S. E. Hobbie, F. Isbell, E. Laliberté, J. E. Meireles, H. Menninger, R. P. Pavlick, J. Pinto-Ledezma, C. Potter, M. C. Schuman, N. Springer, A. Stefanski, P. Trivedi, A. Trowbridge, L. Williams, C. G. Willis, and Y. Yang. 2021. BII-Implementation: The causes and consequences of plant biodiversity across scales in a rapidly changing world. Research Ideas and Outcomes 7:e63850.
Pinto-Ledezma, J. N., and J. Cavender-Bares. 2020. Using Remote Sensing for Modeling and Monitoring Species Distributions. Pages 199-223 in J. Cavender-Bares, J. A. Gamon, and P. A. Townsend, editors. Remote Sensing of Plant Biodiversity. Springer International Publishing, Cham.
Meireles, J. E., J. Cavender-Bares, P. A. Townsend, S. Ustin, J. A. Gamon, A. K. Schweiger, M. E. Schaepman, G. P. Asner, R. E. Martin, A. Singh, F. Schrodt, A. Chlus, and B. O'Meara. 2020. Leaf reflectance spectra capture the evolutionary history of seed plants. New Phytologist 228:485-493.
Cavender-Bares, J., P. A. Townsend, and J. A. Gamon. 2020. Remote Sensing of Plant Biodiversity. Springer Nature. 581 pages. Cavender-Bares, J. 2019. Diversification, adaptation, and community assembly of the American oaks (Quercus), a model clade for integrating ecology and evolution. New Phytologist 221:669-692.
Cavender-Bares, J., S. Kothari, J. E. Meireles, M. A. Kaproth, P. S. Manos, and A. L. Hipp. 2018. The role of diversification in community assembly of the oaks (Quercus L.) across the continental U.S. American Journal of Botany 105:565-586.
Full publications list in PDF format
Education and background
Ph.D., Harvard University, 2000
Director, ASCEND Biology Integration Institute (Advancing Spectral biology in Changing ENvironments to understand Diversity)