Isla Myers-Smith, postdoc tundra ecology
My research in five words: Shrubs climb mountains, move north.
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Fig 1. Field sites in the Yukon Territory.

My Research

My research focuses on understanding the biological and climatic drivers that promote shrub expansion into alpine tundra and the ecosystem consequences of the invasion of willow populations upslope or northward beyond their current range limit.

During my postdoctoral research I am working with colleagues to conduct a synthesis of shrub growth data from sites around the circumpolar Arctic to test the hypothesis that regional summer warming is related to increased shrub growth. This project is a part of the Shrub Hub Research Network and is funded by an EnviroNorth postdoctoral fellowship and workshop funding from the International Arctic Science Committee.

Research Questions

  1. Is increased shrub growth related to improved growing conditions in tundra ecosystems?
  2. Are shrubs advancing up slopes in alpine areas and shrubs moving northward into the Arctic?
  3. Do snow-shrub interactions promote shrub growth and expansion?
  4. How do shrubs modify the tundra plant community, carbon stores and nutrient cycling?
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Fig 2. Annual growth rings can be used to age shrub individuals and to compare relative growth over time. Fig 3. Shrub canopies influence the reflectance of the tundra, snow trapping and other ecosystem functions.
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Funding Sources

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© Isla Myers-Smith 2012