Dr. Gary Bradfield

My research falls generally in the area of plant community ecology involving the descriptive and correlative analysis of vegetation - environmental relationships. I am also interested in the development of vegetation pattern and organization through time, and in determining the factors that influence community change and the spatial/temporal scales on which they operate. My students and I are currently conducting research in three areas: (1) Coastal marshes and bogs, including plant community structure and restoration of damaged ecosystems. (2) Effects of habitat fragmentation on plant functional groups, including diversity changes in bryophytes, lichens, and vascular plants after logging in coastal forests. (3) Natural disturbances and ecosystem linkages in montane forests, including the relationships between tree size/age distributions, environmental conditions, and disturbance history at the tree, stand, and landscape scales.