Christopher R. Webster

Quantitative Ecology

My research focuses on the interplay between disturbance, stability, and complexity in natural systems at local and landscape scales. While my approach to research is strongly field based, we also use a variety of techniques in my lab, such as tree-ring analysis, GIS, and statistical modeling, to assess questions at a variety of temporal and spatial scales.

Currently, we are working on a diverse array of projects including investigation of: landscape and stand level attributes that influence deer use of remnant hemlock stands in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; trade-offs in productivity and diversity in forests and grasslands managed for biomass production; spatial patterning and heterogeneity in forest herbaceous plant communities; direct and indirect effects of herbivory on understory plant community structure and tree regeneration dynamics; and plant community response to disturbance in high-elevation spruce-fir forests. One of my main goals when mentoring students is to help them develop the quantitative skills necessary to successfully pursue their curiosity about the natural world.