About meI'm a 4th year PhD student in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota. I work with Drs. Elizabeth Borer and Sarah Hobbie on questions related to how ecosystems respond to anthropogenic changes. My dissertation focuses on how small rates of nitrogen addition change grassland plant community composition and biomass, and how those changes affect carbon uptake and storage in plants and soils.
Twitter: @mwilcots9 CV |
How is nitrogen deposition changing grassland carbon flux?
|
Nitrogen deposition is a ubiquitous pressure on ecosystems, but especially for areas that are very N-limited. N addition may stimulate new growth, but it can also speed up decomposition, resulting in a net loss of carbon. For the past two years, I've been measuring net ecosystem exchange (NEE), soil respiration, and above-and belowground biomass across an experimental N gradient to understand how patterns of carbon uptake and tissue allocation change across a nitrogen gradient. The plots I work in are an add-on to the standard Nutrient Network (NutNet) layout. NutNet is a globally distributed experiment of sites that manipulate nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) and herbivory across the world's grasslands.
|
How does fertilization affect tundra carbon uptake?
In 2021, I was awarded a National Geographic Early Career grant to study the affect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on carbon pools and fluxes at Toolik Field Station, Alaska, USA. Increases in deciduous shrub abundance have been observed with fertilization in the arctic, and I'm interested in understanding how this shift to a more shrub-dominated landscape affects carbon uptake, particularly in the shoulder seasons.
|
|
Publications
2021
Soininen, E. M., Barrio, I.S., ... Wilcots, M. E., Yoccoz, N.G., and Speed, J.D.M. 2021. Location of studies and evidence of effects of herbivory on Arctic vegetation: a systematic map. Environmental Evidence 10, 25
Wilcots, M.E., Harpole, W.S., Seabloom, E.W., and Borer, E.T. (2021). Community change can buffer chronic nitrogen impacts, but multiple nutrients tip the scale. Ecology. e0335.
2020
Min, E., Wilcots, M.E., Naeem, S., Gough, L., McLaren, J., Rowe, R.J., Rastetter, E., Boelman, N.T., and Griffin, K.L. (2020). Herbivore absence can shift dry heath tundra from carbon source to sink during peak growing season. Environmental Research Letters 16(2), 024027
2019
Wilcots, M.E., Taylor, B.N., Kuprewicz, E.K., and Menge, D.N.L. (2019). Small traits with big consequences: How seed traits of nitrogen-fixing plants might influence ecosystem nutrient cycling. Oikos. 125:8, p. 668-679. doi: 10.1111/oik.05798
Soininen, E. M., Barrio, I.S., ... Wilcots, M. E., Yoccoz, N.G., and Speed, J.D.M. 2021. Location of studies and evidence of effects of herbivory on Arctic vegetation: a systematic map. Environmental Evidence 10, 25
Wilcots, M.E., Harpole, W.S., Seabloom, E.W., and Borer, E.T. (2021). Community change can buffer chronic nitrogen impacts, but multiple nutrients tip the scale. Ecology. e0335.
2020
Min, E., Wilcots, M.E., Naeem, S., Gough, L., McLaren, J., Rowe, R.J., Rastetter, E., Boelman, N.T., and Griffin, K.L. (2020). Herbivore absence can shift dry heath tundra from carbon source to sink during peak growing season. Environmental Research Letters 16(2), 024027
2019
Wilcots, M.E., Taylor, B.N., Kuprewicz, E.K., and Menge, D.N.L. (2019). Small traits with big consequences: How seed traits of nitrogen-fixing plants might influence ecosystem nutrient cycling. Oikos. 125:8, p. 668-679. doi: 10.1111/oik.05798