Dr. Peter Reich

Peter's current research focuses on the impacts of global environmental change on terrestrial ecosystems. This includes effects of climate change, elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide, other air pollutants, land use/management, fire and biotic invasion on health, biodiversity, and sustainability of forest and grassland ecosystems both in Minnesota and globally. This work simultaneously attempts to bridge the fields of physiological, community, ecosystem, landscape, and global ecology. We tend to focus on the broad ecotone of central North America, where boreal forests, northern hardwood forests, oak woodlands/savannas, and grasslands converge and mix. However, we are involved in projects that address similar themes and issues in many other biomes and geographic locations, including work in several other continents (Australia, Europe, South America).