BIOLOGY
Biological Conservation 293 (2024) 110598
We wanted to know what kind of impact human-caused disturbance has on the number of lichens in Southern Appalachian forests. We collected and used a huge dataset to find that there's a clear relationship: the more disturbed a forest, the fewer lichens. This may sound like a "duh" conclusion, but actually many species follow a different pattern in which their richness (# of species) is highest at medium levels of disturbance (Goldilocks-style).
"Cliffs support lichen communities unique from nearby forests"
Basic and Applied Ecology 81 (2024) 112 – 120
We wanted to know if the lichens growing on cliff faces were different from those growing on rocks in forests. (This sounds like a basic question, and it is! But it show how few people study cliffs or lichens...and even fewer study both!) We chose the stunning Linville Gorge as our study system and found that cliff communities were very different from those in forests. We also discovered a few special cliff species and published the first lichen check-list of Linville Gorge.
"Cliff nesting birds provide nutrient inputs to cliff ecosystems"
Ecology and Conservation Biology 79 (2024) 74-83
We wanted to know if cliff-nesting birds were contributing nutrients to cliff faces through their poop. We chose 8 cliff with peregrine or raven nests across the Southern Appalachians and found that indeed the nests are providing nutrients and the lichen under nests are more diverse and abundant.
"A call to action for inventorying and monitoring of cliff ecosystems to support conservation"
Basic and Applied Ecology 80 (2024) 31–39
After 10 years of studying cliffs, we realized how important it is to collect data on the same cliff over time. This isn't always easy and it can be hard to find funding. This paper tries to convince ecologists to monitor cliffs by using success stories as convincing case-studies, and offering tips and best practices for cliff monitoring projects.