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Michelle C. Mack, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Botany
- Ecosystem Ecology
- 509 Carr Hall
- (352) 846-25101 (Voice)
- (352) 392-3993 (Fax)
- mcmack@botany.ufl.edu
- www.clas.ufl.edu/users/mcmack/macklab
Biography
My research interests center upon understanding the impacts of plant species composition on ecosystem and global processes such as nitrogen (N) cycling and climate feedbacks. I have used an experimental approach to address questions regarding how plant invaders affect N cycling in an N limited Hawaiian woodland, how plant functional types modulate local climate processes in boreal and arctic ecosystems, and how plant composition controls the response of ecosystem processes to disturbances such as fire.
Education
- University of California-Berkeley, Ph.D. in Integrative Biology, 1998.
- Ph.D. dissertation title: "Effects of exotic, invasive grasses on ecosystem nitrogen dynamics in a Hawaiian dry woodland."
- Evergreen State College, B.S. in Biology, B.A. in Literature, 1990.
Academic Positions
- Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, University of Florida, 2001-present.
- Research Associate, Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2000-2001.
Awards and Honors
- National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biosciences Related to the Environment, 1998-2000.
- USDA NRICGP Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, declined.
- National Science Foundation Dissertation Improvement Grant, 1997
- University of California-Berkeley Vice Chancellor for Research Award, 1997
- National Aeronautics and Space Association Graduate Global Change Fellowship, 1994-1997
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, Terrestrial Ecosystems and the Atmosphere Fellow, 1996
- National Academy of Science, Frontiers of Science Volvo Fellow, 1996
- Mildred Mathias Award for Research in University of California Reserve System, 1993
- Hardman Foundation Award, 1993
- Department of Integrative Biology Graduate Fellowship, 1992-93
- Evergreen State College Foundation Fellowship, 1985-1989
Present Research
- Effects of plant diversity and functional identity on ecosystem nitrogen retention following fire in boreal forest
- Effects of plant species and functional types on diversity, ecosystem function, and ecosystem response to perturbation in arctic tundra
- A measurement program in Siberia to assess disturbance-driven changes in arctic carbon and nutrient fluxes
- The role of plant traits in ecosystem nutrient dynamics
- The response of exotic, invasive species to climate change in Florida
- The effects of fire on soil nutrient dynamics in Florida long leaf pine ecosystems
- Plant diversity and nutrient use in canopy epiphyte communities of Costa Rican tropical wet forests
Present Students
- Leslie Boby (Ph.D)
- Damion Graves (Ph.D.)
- Jennifer Schafer (Ph.D.)
- Eddie Watkins (Ph.D.)
Postdoctorate Associates
Courses Taught:
- BSC 2008 - Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
- BOT 4935 - Principles of Ecosystem Ecology
- BOT
6935 - Methods of Ecosystem Ecology
Membership in Professional Organizations:
Grants received
Over $1 million from federal agencies and private foundations. The following are current grants:
- NSF Ecosystems, 2000-2004, Effects of plant functional identity on ecosystem carbon accumulation and nitrogen retention following fire, $675,000.
- NSF Ecosystems, 2002-2005, Collaborative research on the e ffects of species and functional types on diversity, ecosystem function, and ecosystem response to perturbation in arctic tundra, $250,000.
- Mellon Foundation, 2002-2005, The role of plant functional traits in ecosystem nutrient cycling, $300,000.
- NSF Ecosystems, 2002-2004, The role of soil nitrogen in plant litter decomposition, $50,000.
Selected Publications
Mack, M.C., E.A.G. Schuur, MS. Bret-Harte, G.R. Shaver, and F.S. Chapin III. 2004. Carbon storage in arctic tundra reduced by long-term nutrient fertilization. Nature 431: 440-443.
Treseder, K. K., M.C. Mack, A. Cross. 2004. Relationships among fires, fungi, and soil dynamics in Alaskan boreal forests. Ecological Application 14 (6):1826–1838.
Mack, M.C., and C.M. D'Antonio. 2003. Effects of exotic grasses on litter decomposition in a Hawaiian woodland: the importance of indirect effects. Ecosystems.
Mack, M.C., and C.M. D'Antonio. 2003. Exotic grasses alter controls over soil nitrogen dynamics in a Hawaiian woodland. Ecological Applications 13 (1):154-166.
Mack, M. C., D'Antonio, C. M., Ley, R. E. 2001. Alteration of ecosystem nitrogen dynamics by exotic plants: A case study of C4 grasses in Hawaii. Ecological Applications 11 (5): 1323-1335.
Schuur, E.A., J.W. Harden, M.C. Mack and S.E. Trumbore. 2003. Isotopic composition of smoke from a boreal forest fire. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 17(1): 1001-1008.
Harden, J.W., M. C. Mack, H. Veldhuis, and S.T. Gower. 2002. Fire dynamics and implications for nitrogen cycling in boreal forests. Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmopshere, special volume FIRE-EXB 1/01.
Beringer, J, A.H. Lynch, F.S. Chapin, III, M. Mack, and G.B. Bonan. 2001. The representation of arctic soils in the land surface model: The importance of mosses. Journal of Climate 14:3324-3335.
D'Antonio, C.M., and M.C. Mack. 2001. Exotic grasses slow invasion of a nitrogen fixing tree into a Hawaiian woodland. Biological Invasions 3: 69-73.
Chapin, F.S. III, S. Diaz, V. Eviner, S. Hobbie, D. Hooper, S. Lavorel, M. Mack, R. Naylor, H. Reynolds, O. Sala, P. Vitousek, and E. Zavaleta. 2000. Functional and societal consequences of changing biotic diversity. Nature 405(6783):234-242.
Mack, M.C., and C. M. D'Antonio. 1998. Impacts of biological invasions on disturbance regimes. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 13 (5):195-198.
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Last Updated 6/28/05
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