MARY A. ARTHUR
Professor – Forest Ecology
Chair, Natural Resources Steering Committee
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 Ecosystem 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 the Forest Ecology Lab Group:
Field & laboratory technicians: Beth Blankenship; Millie Hamilton; Gretchen Sovkoplas
MS Students: Abe Levin-Nielsen
PhD Students: Amy McIntosh; Megan Poulette
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 research program include shifts in species composition resulting from exotic pests, 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. We are also examining the ecological effects of repeated prescribed fire, focusing on spring burns. 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.
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 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.
Selected publications (2008-2012; for complete list see curriculum vita)
Arthur, M.A., H.D. Alexander, D.C. Dey, C.J. Schweitzer, and D.L. Loftis. In press. Refining the oak-fire hypothesis for management of oak-dominated forests of the eastern United States. J. Forestry.
Blum, J.D., S.P. Hamburg, R.D. Yanai, and M.A. Arthur. In press. Determination of foliar Ca/Sr discrimination factors for six tree species and implications for Ca sources in northern hardwood forests. Plant and Soil.
McEwan, R.W., M.A. Arthur, S.E. Alverson. In press. Throughfall chemistry and soil nutrient effects of the invasive shrub Lonicera maackii in deciduous forests. Am. Midl. Nat.
Poulette, MM. and M.A. Arthur. 2012. The impact of the invasive shrub Lonicera maackii on the decomposition dynamics of a native plant community. Ecological Applications 22:412-424.
Wilson, H.N., M.A. Arthur, A. Schorgendorfer, R.D. Paratley, B.D. Lee, and R.W. McEwan. Accepted, in revision. Site characteristics as predictors of Lonicera maackii and other invasive plants in second growth forests of central Kentucky, USA. Natural Areas Journal.
Fatemi, F.R., R.D. Yanai, S.P. Hamburg, M.A. Vadeboncoeur, M.A. Arthur, R.D. Briggs, and C.R. Levine. 2011. Allometric equations for young northern hardwoods: the importance of age-specific equations for estimating aboveground biomass. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 41:881-891.
Alexander, H.D. and M.A. Arthur. 2010. Implications of a predicted shift from upland oaks to red maple on forest hydrology and nutrient availability. Canadian Journal of Forest Research: 40: 716-726.
Green, S.R. and M.A. Arthur. 2010. Oak and red maple seedling survival and growth following periodic prescribed fire on xeric ridgetops on the Cumberland Plateau. Forest Ecology and Management 259: 2256-2266.
Lovett, G.M., M.A. Arthur, K.C. Weathers and J.M. Griffin. 2010. Long-term changes in forest carbon and nitrogen cycling caused by an introduced pest/pathogen complex. Ecosystems 13: 1188-1200.
McEwan, R.W., L.G. Arthur-Paratley, L.K. Rieske and M.A. Arthur. 2010. A multi-assay comparison of seed germination inhibition by Lonicera maackii and co-occurring native shrubs. Flora 205:475-483.
Royse, J., M.A. Arthur, A. Schorgendorfer, and D.L. Loftis. 2010. Establishment and growth of oak (Quercus alba, Quercus prinus) seedlings in burned and fire-excluded upland forests on the Cumberland Plateau. Forest Ecology and Management 260: 502-510.
Weand, M.P., M.A. Arthur, G.M. Lovett, K.C. Weathers, R.L. McCulley. 2010. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 42: 2161-2173.
Weand, M.P., M.A. Arthur, G.M. Lovett, F. Sikora and K.C. Weathers. 2010. The phosphorus status of northern hardwoods differs by species but is unaffected by nitrogen fertilization. Biogeochemistry 97:2-3.
Alexander, H.D. and M.A. Arthur. 2009. Foliar morphology and chemistry of upland oaks, red maple, and sassafras seedlings in response to single and repeated prescribed fires. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 39: 740-754.
Christensen, L.M., G.M. Lovett, K.C. Weathers and M.A. Arthur. 2009. The Influence of tree species, nitrogen fertilization and soil C:N ratio on gross soil nitrogen transformations. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 73: 638-646.
Fabio* E.S., M.A. Arthur, C.C. Rhoades. 2009. Influence of moisture regime and tree species composition on nitrogen cycling dynamics in hardwood forests of Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, USA. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 39: 330-341.
McEwan, R.W., M. K. Birchfield, A. Schoergendorfer and M.A. Arthur. 2009. Leaf phenology and freeze tolerance of the invasive shrub Amur honeysuckle and potential native competitors. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 136:212-220.
McEwan, R.W., L.K. Rieske, and M.A. Arthur. 2009. Potential interaction between invasive woody shrubs and the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), an invasive insect herbivore. Biological Invasions 11: 1053-1058.
Alexander, H.D., M.A. Arthur, D.L. Loftis, S.R. Green. 2008. Survival and growth of upland oak and co-occurring competitor seedlings following single and repeated prescribed fires. Forest Ecology and Management 256: 1021-1030.
Blum, J.D., A.A. Dasch, S.P. Hamburg, R.D. Yanai and M.A. Arthur. 2008. Use of foliar Ca/Sr discrimination and 87Sr/86Sr ratios to determine soil Ca sources to sugar maple foliage in a northern hardwood forest. Biogeochemistry 87: 287-296.
Hancock, J.E., M.A. Arthur, K.C. Weathers and G.M. Lovett. 2008. Aboveground net primary production and total belowground carbon allocation along a gradient of beech bark disease impact in the Catskill Mountains, New York. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 38: 1267-1274.
Loucks*, E., M.A. Arthur, J.E. Lyons and D.L. Loftis. 2008. Characterization of fuel before and after a single prescribed fire in an Appalachian hardwood forest. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry 32: 80-88.