Jennifer Powers
Professor
Plant and Microbial Biology
The Powers lab is interested in how land-use changes like secondary forest regeneration and climate change like increased frequency of drought affect seasonally dry tropical forest. We use a variety of tools including long-term observations, large-scale experiments, and meta-analysis and we collaborate with simulation modelers.
Research statement
I use experimental and observational approaches to investigate and biogeochemical and ecosystem processes across local, regional, and global scales. In particular, my research focuses on understanding:
- the patterns of carbon and nitrogen dynamics in forest ecosystems,
- the effects of anthropogenic environmental changes including land-cover change, global warming and nitrogen deposition on element cycling processes,
- the feedbacks among soil fertility, plant processes and microbial communities, and,
- how individual plant and microbial species influence element cycling processes.
My research interests are diverse, but they are linked by the common theme of understanding the relationships among ecological processes, the patterns they generate, and the effects of anthropogenic environmental changes across a range of spatial and temporal scales. I use a diverse set of tools including microbiological techniques, soil chemistry, stable isotope analysis, remote sensing, geostatistics, and geographic information systems (GIS) to extrapolate from fine to coarse spatial scales and to connect ecological processes to patterns. The bulk of my field work is in tropical ecosystems.
Education
Ph.D., Duke University, 2001