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Jennifer E. Davison

Thesis Title

Grassland-Forest Continuum Response to Disturbance: a Conceptual Model

Thesis Summary

The aim of my research is to develop and improve conceptual models explaining disturbance and variability along gradients of woody plant cover.  Focusing on Sky Islands in the southwestern USA , our study will be exploring phenological responses of elevation-based woody plant gradients to different disturbance types, such as drought and wildfire.

We are using field-gathered, modeled and remotely sensed data sets describing woody plant cover, climate and phenology patterns to explain responses of various gradients of woody cover over time.  The types of disturbance and the response of the vegetation inform a holistic understanding of changes in grassland-forest gradients and their drivers.

Why my research is important

Much of the Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems can be seen as existing along a gradient of woody plant cover.  Grasslands, shrublands, woodlands and forests are examples of these. Woody plants modify the surrounding ecosystem in many ways, affecting the nutrient and hydrological cycles the carbon balance, and biological diversity.  With climate change and increased climate variability, the ability to detect, predict, and thus manage, the response of these ecosystems to disturbance will be an important tool for land managers and researchers alike.  Elevation gradients such as the Sky Islands in the southwestern USA , highly biologically diverse and representing vegetation communities of numerous biogeographic zones, are particularly sensitive and important examples of woody plant gradients.  Many studies have highlighted vegetation patterns and processes along gradients of woody cover.  However, though research often sheds light on a particular grassland-forest system, similarities across woody plant gradients in response to climatic trends and extreme events are not well known.  My research aims to provide insights into the grassland-forest continuum as a concept, to analyze varying phenological response along the gradient due to gradient type and disturbance type, and to shed light on Sky Islands as barometers of change due to climate and other drivers.

Funding

My work is primarily funded by a US Department of Agriculture Ecohydrology Fellowship.  I also work as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Office of Arid Lands Studies.

Peer Reviewed Publications

Breshears, D.D., Huxman, T.E., Adams, H.D., Zou, C.B., and Davison, J.E. 2008. Vegetation synchronously leans upslope as climate warms.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105: 11591-11592.

Oral Presentations

Davison, J.E., D.D. Breshears, W. J. D. van Leeuwen, “Vegetation phenology in response to climate variability and disturbance across woody-herbaceous plant gradients.” Ecological Society of America 93rd annual conference, Milwaukee, WI, August 2008.

Davison, J.E., D.D. Breshears, W. J. D. van Leeuwen, “Drought-induced vegetation change in sky island mountains:  remotely sensed phenology along gradients of woody plant cover.” MTNCLIM 2008 Mountain Climate Research Conference, Silverton CO, June 2008.

Davison, J.E., D.D. Breshears, W.J.D. van Leeuwen, “Remotely sensed vegetation dynamics along mountain gradients: characterization of Sky Islands and their responses to disturbance.” Invited talk at Northern Arizona University’s Geospatial Research and Information Library, Flagstaff, AZ April 2008.

Davison, J.E., D.D. Breshears, W. J. D. van Leeuwen, “Exploration of vegetation response to wildfire across a gradient of woody cover.” Association for Fire Ecology, Tucson, AZ, January 2008.

Davison, J.E., W. J. D. van Leeuwen, D.D. Breshears, “Preliminary methodology to analyze vegetation response to disturbance across a gradient of woody cover.” Southwest US Region, American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing  / USA-NPN annual meeting, Tucson, AZ, October 2007.

Davison, J.E., W. J. D. van Leeuwen, G. Casady, S. Marsh, “Phenological characterization of a sky island: Insights into vegetation patterns across space and time.” International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment, San Jose, Costa Rica, June 2007.

Orr, B.J., S. Bautista, J.A. Alloza, W.J.D. van Leeuwen, G.M. Casady, J.E. Davison, L. Wittenberg, D. Malkinson, Y. Carmel and D.G. Neary, “Satellite-derived vegetation dynamics applied to post-fire vulnerability assessment in Spain”. The 4th International Wildland Fire Convention, Seville, Spain, June 2007.

Davison, J.E., W. J. D. van Leeuwen, G. Casady, S. Marsh, “Vegetation phenology and climate variability in a sky island in Arizona.” US Regional Association of the International Association of Landscape Ecology, Tucson, AZ, April 2007.

Davison, J.E., W. J. D. van Leeuwen, M. Karpiscak, T. Bean, “Using remote sensing to monitor revegetation of arid retired farmlands.”  Paper presented at the NASA SpaceGrant Symposium, Tucson, AZ, April 2006.

Davison, J.E., W. J. D. van Leeuwen, M. Karpiscak, T. Bean, “Using remote sensing to monitor revegetation of arid retired farmlands.” Conference of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, Tucson, AZ, April 2006.

Poster Presentations

Davison, J.E., W. J. D. van Leeuwen, D. D. Breshears, “Remotely sensed vegetation dynamics along Sky Island woody plant gradients: barometers of climate change and variability.” University of Arizona Graduate and Professional Student Council Student Showcase, Tucson, AZ, October 2008.

Davison, J.E., W. J. D. van Leeuwen, D. D. Breshears, “Remotely sensed vegetation dynamics along Sky Island woody plant gradients: barometers of climate change and variability.”  Southwest US Region, American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing  / USA-NPN annual meeting, Tucson, AZ, October 2008.

Davison, J.E., D. D. Breshears, W. J. D. van Leeuwen, “Preliminary analyses of vegetation phenology and disturbance patterns across a gradient of woody cover.” Institute for the Study of Planet Earth ISPEFest Graduate Poster Competition, Tucson, AZ, November 2007.

Davison, J.E., J. Kariyeva, W. J. D. van Leeuwen, “Vegetation phenological response to precipitation in The Santa Rita Experimental Range: comparison of two remote measures.” Research into Semi-Arid Systems Symposium, Tucson, AZ, October 2007.

Davison, J.E., W. J. D. van Leeuwen, G. Casady, S. Marsh, “Phenological metrics and their response to drought in Arizona: The Santa Rita Mountains.” US Regional Association of the International Association of Landscape Ecology, Tucson, AZ, April 2007.

Davison, J.E., B. Orr, A. Thwaits, P. Rasmussen, A. Hays, “The Geospatial Toolkit: a field-based mapping solution.” American Farm Bureau Association National Convention, Salt Lake City, UT, January 2007.

van Leeuwen, W. J. D., C. Huang, J.E. Davison, S. Marsh, G. Casady, “Phenology of a sky island: the Santa Rita Mountains.” Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group Global Vegetation Workshop, Missoula, MT, August 2006.

Awards

Graduate and Professional Student Council Student Showcase: Second Place

2008

Pistor-Stanley Scholarship

2008

Southern Arizona Environmental Management Society Tutition Scholarship

2008

Graduate and Professional Student Council Travel Grant Award

2008

USDA MS-CREES Ecohydrology Fellowship

2007-2009

Institute for the Study of Planet Earth Graduate Travel Grand Award

2007, 2008

University of Arizona Graduate College Fellowship

2007

Institute for the Study of Planet Earth Graduate Poster Competition: Second Place

2007

School of Natural Resources Tuition and Registration Scholarship

2007

Outstanding Graduate Senior, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

2006

Outstanding Graduate Senior, School of Natural Resources

2006

NASA Undergraduate Research Internship

2005-2006

College of Agriculture and Life Science Dean's list

2004-2006

Charles R. Coughlin Scholarship

2004, 2005

Lionel Drake Scholarship

2004, 2005

Jim and Mary Faul Scholarship 2005

Alma Wilson Scholarship

2004

 

Advisor
 

David D. Breshears

Committee 
 
Starting date
July 2007
Contact details

Jennifer E. Davison
Masters Candidate
Terrestrial Ecology Laboratory
School of Natural Resources
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Curriculum vitae

davisonj@email.arizona.edu

Ph: 520-360-3809

Terrestrial Ecology Lab

228 Biological Science Building East

University of Arizona, 1311 E 4th Street, Tucson, AZ 85721

Ph: 520-621-7259

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