Katie Flinn – Plant Ecology

Plant and Forest Ecology, Disturbed Communities, Invasive Species

My research seeks to understand how biological traits, environmental conditions, and historical factors such as disturbance and dispersal history interact to influence plant distributions.  While addressing fundamental questions in ecology, this work can also deal with conservation concerns such as the protection of rare species, the restoration of disturbed communities, the spread of invasive species, and the environmental impacts of agriculture.  For example, I have a longstanding interest in the recovery of forests on former farmlands.

Selected Publications

Flinn, K. (2007) Microsite-limited recruitment controls fern colonization of post-agricultural forests. Ecology 88(12):3103–3114.

Flinn, K.M. and M. Vellend. (2005) Recovery of forest plant communities in post-agricultural landscapes. Front Ecol Environ 3(5): 243–250.