Michael Dietze

The environmental sciences have progressively found themselves thrust from their humble roots in natural history into the role of detecting, quantifying, and predicting the interactions between humankind and our natural environment. We face a future where there is clear and growing demand for quantitative ecological forecasts with accurate assessments of uncertainty at the local, national, and global level. One of the primary goals of my lab's work is to produce ecological forecasts by combining innovative ecological models with cutting-edge statistical and computational techniques and integrating diverse sources of data across many spatial and temporal scales. Forecasting is not merely an exercise in modern information technology, but requires tackling a number of basic research questions. At the forefront of these is the need to go beyond studying individual sites in isolation in order to understand the generalities across ecological systems. Basic science questions are what ultimately that drive our research: how do species coexist?; what are the relative contributions of biotic interactions, abiotic factors, and disturbance in structuring ecosystems?; and to what extent are ecosystem dynamics predictable versus determined by individual history and chance events? My lab is interested in understanding the universal constraints on vegetation dynamics through the integration of cross-site studies and focused field campaigns with cutting-edge models and modern statistical techniques. Overall our research is focused on the interacting roles of environmental heterogeneity, disturbance, and climate change in structuring vegetation dynamics.