MARY A. ARTHUR
Professor – Forest Ecology
Contact me:
214 T.P. Cooper Building (office 103)
Lexington, KY 40546-0073
Tel: 859-257-2852
Fax: 859-323-1031
E-mail: marthur@uky.edu
Curriculum Vita
Education:
PhD. 1990, Cornell University
Academic interests:
Dr. Arthur's research focuses on three primary focal areas, the role of forest change and species composition in ecosystem processes, prescribed fire in upland oak ecosystems in the central Appalachians, and invasive species and the alteration of ecosystem dynamics.
Courses taught:
Forest Ecology
Forest Ecosytem Dynamics
Forestry graduate seminars (previous topics: Ecological Stoichiometry, Interface Between Community and Ecosystem Ecology; Ecosystem Management; Forests and Global Change)
Professional affiliation:
Member: American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), Ecological Society of America (ESA), Society of America Foresters (SAF), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)
Students and Staff working in my lab:
Field and laboratory technicians: Millie Hamilton, Autumn Foushee
Post-doctoral researcher: Ryan McEwan
MS Students: Heather Clark, Jake Royse
PhD Students: Heather Alexander, Megan Poulette, Matthew Weand
Current projects
Role of forest change and species composition in ecosystem processes:
Research conducted in New Hampshire, New York and Kentucky addresses questions regarding the role of individual tree species in forest ecosystem processes, including N cycling and C flux. Elements of forest change that are part of my rsearch program include shifts in species composition resulting from exotic pests (specifically beech bark disease), the role of stand age in species-mediated shifts in forest N and cation cycling, and discerning the influence of microenvironment versus species composition on forest nutrient cycling. The influence of N deposition is also considered, in the context of differences among tree species in moderating the influence of N deposition.
Fire in the southern Appalachians: fuels, stand structure and oaks:
This research, conducted in the Daniel Boone National Forest in eastern Kentucky, examines the effects of prescribed fire on fuel loading, stand structure and oak seedling success in upland oak forests on the Cumberland Plateau. Fire is being used with increasing frequency by forest managers to achieve various effects, such as reduced stem density and more open stands; this research examines the effects of prescribed fire treatments in the context of management objectives. We are also examining the ecological effects of repeated prescribed fire, focusing on spring burns.
Invasive species and the alteration of ecosystem dynamics:
Invasive plant species are an increasing threat to forest community and species diversity, and also have the potential to alter forest ecosystem dynamics in profound ways. This part of my program addresses the invasive plant species in Kentucky communities from the perspective of the spatial distribution and spread, ecophysiological attributes that enhance success of invasives, potential for chemically enhanced suppression of native species, and effects on ecosystem function. This work is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Lynne Rieske-Kinney.
Selected publications (2000-2006; for complete list see curriculum vita)
Blankenship, B.A. and M.A. Arthur. 2006. Stand structure over nine years in burned and fire-excluded oak stands on the Cumberland Plateau, Kentucky. Forest Ecology and Management 225: 134-145.
Lovett, G.M., C.D. Canham, M.A. Arthur, K.C. Weathers and R.D. Fitzhugh. 2006. Forest ecosystem responses to exotic pests and pathogens in eastern North America. BioScience 56:395-405.
Newman, G., M.A. Arthur, and R.N. Muller. 2006. Above- and belowground net primary production in a temperate mixed deciduous forest. Ecosystems 9:317-329.
Chiang, J., M.A. Arthur and B.A. Blankenship. 2005. The effect of prescribed fire on gap fraction in an oak forest on the Cumberland Plateau. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 132: 432-441.
Yanai, R.D., J.D. Blum, S.P. Hamburg, M.A. Arthur, C.A. Nezat, and T.G. Siccama. 2005. New Insights into Calcium Depletion in Northeastern Forests. Journal of Forestry 103:14-20.
Yanai, R.D., R.P. Phillips, M.A. Arthur, T.G. Siccama, and E.N. Hane. 2005. Spatial and temporal variation in calcium and aluminum in northern hardwood forest floors. Water, Air and Soil Pollution 160:109-118.
Lovett, G.M., K.C. Weathers, and M.A. Arthur. 2004. Nitrogen cycling in a northern hardwood forest: do species matter? Biogeochemistry 67: 289-308.
Gilbert, N.L., S.L. Johnson, S.K. Gleeson, B.A. Blankenship and M.A. Arthur. 2003. Effects of prescribed fire on physiology and growth of Acer rubrum and Quercus spp. seedlings in an oak-pine forest on the Cumberland Plateau, KY. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 130: 253-264.
Griffin, J.M., G.M. Lovett, M.A. Arthur and K.C. Weathers. 2003. The distribution and severity of beech bark disease in the Catskill Mountains, NY. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 33:1754-1760.
Washburn, C.S.M. and M.A. Arthur. 2003. Tree species effects on soil nutrient availability in an oak-pine forest. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 33:2321-2330.
Yanai, R.D., S.V. Stehman, M.A. Arthur, C.E. Prescott, A.J. Friedland, T.G. Siccama, and D. Binkley. 2003. Detecting change in forest floor carbon storage. Soil Science Society of America Journal 67:1583-1593.
Hamburg, S.P., R.D. Yanai, M.A. Arthur, J.D. Blum and T.G. Siccama. 2003. Biotic control of calcium cycling in northern hardwood forests: acid rain and aging forests. Ecosystems 6:399-406.
Kuddes-Fischer, L.M. and M.A. Arthur. 2002. Response of understory vegetation and tree regeneration to a single prescribed fire in oak-pine forests. Natural Areas Journal 22:43-52.
Lovett, G.M., K.C. Weathers, and M.A. Arthur. 2002. Control of N loss from forested watershed by soil C:N ratio and tree species composition. Ecosystems 5:712-718.
Rieske, L.K., H.H. Housman, and M.A. Arthur. 2002. Effects of prescribed fire on canopy foliar chemistry and suitability for an insect herbivore. Forest Ecology and Management 160:177-187.
Arthur, M.A., S.P. Hamburg, and T.G. Siccama. 2001. Validating allometric estimates of aboveground living biomass and nutrient contents of a northern hardwood forest. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 31:11-17.
Arthur, M.A. and R.D. Yanai. 2000. Distinguishing the effects of environmental stress and forest succession on changes in the forest floor. Korean Journal of Ecology 23:83-88.
McEwan, R.W., R.N. Muller, M.A.Arthur and H.H. Housman. 2000. Temporal and ecological patterns of flowering dogwood mortality in the mixed mesophytic forest of eastern Kentucky. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society. 127:221-229.
Yanai, R.D., M.A. Arthur, T.G. Siccama and C.A. Federer. 2000. Challenges of measuring forest floor organic matter dynamics: Repeated measures from a chronosequence. Forest Ecology and Management 138:273-283.