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 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 and laboratory technicians: Millie Hamilton; Gretchen Soukoplas
BS Students: Christina Kuchle
MS Students: Heather Wilson
PhD Students: 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 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 (2005-2009; for complete list see curriculum vita)
Alexander, H.A. and M.A. Arthur. 2009. Foliar morphology and chemistry of upland oaks red maple, and sassafras seedlings in response to single and repeated prescribed fire. 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 to N ratio on gross soil nitrogen transformations. Soil Science Society of America Journal 73: 638-646.
Fabio, E.S., M.A. Arthur, and 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., 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-occuring 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.
Templer, P.H., M.A. Arthur, G.M. Lovett, and K.C. Weathers. 2007. Plant and soil natural abundance d15N: Indicators of relative rates of nitrogen cycling in temperate forest ecosystems. Oecologia 153: 399-406.
Binkley, D., D.M. Kashian, S.Boyden, M.W. Kaye, J.B. Bradford, M.A. Arthur, P.J. Fornwalt, M.G. Ryan. 2006. Patterns of growth dominance in forests of the Rocky Mountains, USA. Forest Ecology and Management 263:193-201.
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.