John Kupfer

Area(s) of Expertise

As a landscape ecologist and biogeographer, my research couples field work with spatial analysis and modeling to explore the interactive effects of landscape transformation, climate change, and ecological disturbances on plant and animal communities. For more than two decades, I’ve investigated the ecological impacts of habitat fragmentation, contributing to efforts by the Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, the National Commission on Science for Sustainable Forestry, and the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy. I’ve complemented those efforts with studies of the impacts of climate change, river flow modification, and land use change on fundamental ecological processes such as succession, flooding, fire, and species dispersal. Much of this latter work has been conducted in conjunction with the National Park Service and other state and federal agencies to aid in effective resource management.