Ribbed mussels, which aggregate in mounds on the marsh surface, locally stimulate the growth of cordgrass in a Charleston, SC salt marsh, shown in the large panel above. In the southeastern US coastal plain, Southern live oaks (Quercus virginiana) form striking, large, sprawling canopies in savannas where their branches are often draped with festoons of the atmospheric bromeliad, Spanish moss (Tillandsia unseoides) as shown in the bottom, smaller photos.
In my lab, we use manipulative field experiments, biogeochemical analysis, spatial modeling and a variety of other methods to tackle community ecology and conservation related questions and applying this knowledge to inform restoration design.