J. Cavender-Bares

Drivers of plant diversity, community composition, functional traits and soil processes along an alpine gradient in the central Chilean Andes

The paper examines how environmental factors influence plant diversity, functional traits, and soil processes across an elevation gradient in the central Chilean Andes.

Rapid estimates of leaf litter chemistry using reflectance spectroscopy

This paper develops PLSR models using reflectance spectroscopy to estimate leaf litter chemical traits non-destructively with high accuracy.

Mapping oak wilt disease using phenological observations from space

This paper maps oak wilt disease using land surface phenology metrics from satellite data to distinguish tree health conditions with high accuracy.

Disentangling leaf structural and material properties in relation to their anatomical and chemical compositional traits in oaks (Quercus L.)

The paper quantifies leaf mechanical properties in 25 oak species, finding that outer wall thickness and cellulose concentration are key factors in leaf strength and toughness, with sclerophyllous species showing distinct traits.

No branch left behind: tracking terrestrial biodiversity from a phylogenetic completeness perspective

The paper introduces phylogenetic completeness as a method to maximize protection of evolutionary innovations in conservation scenarios.

Tree species and genetic diversity increase productivity via functional diversity and trophic feedbacks

This study shows that both tree species and genetic diversity increase productivity through functional diversity and trophic feedbacks, with genetic diversity effects varying between monocultures and mixtures.

Remotely detected plant function in two midwestern prairie grassland experiments reveals belowground processes

The paper uses imaging spectroscopy to link aboveground vegetation properties with belowground soil processes in two grassland experiments, finding contrasting relationships based on ecosystem productivity and diversity.

Reflectance spectroscopy allows rapid, accurate, and non-destructive estimates of functional traits from pressed leaves

This paper shows that reflectance spectroscopy can estimate plant functional traits and identify species from pressed leaves without destruction, performing well for some traits and better than fresh leaves for others.

Canopy spectral reflectance detects oak wilt at the landscape scale using phylogenetic discrimination

This study uses canopy spectral reflectance and phylogenetic analysis to detect oak wilt disease in forests with high accuracy.

Predicting species distributions and community composition using remote sensing products

This paper evaluates stacked species distribution models and remote sensing products for predicting biodiversity at different spatial scales, finding they perform well at macroecological scales but not at plot-level resolution.

Coupling spectral and resource-use complementarity in experimental grassland and forest communities

The paper links plant spectral variation to ecosystem productivity by analyzing spectral and resource-use complementarity in grassland and forest communities.

Testing Darwin's naturalization conundrum based on taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional dimensions of vascular plants

The paper evaluates Darwin's naturalization conundrum by analyzing taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic patterns of nonnative plant species across a 31-year fire gradient in an oak savanna.

The results of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments are realistic

This paper compares biodiversity experiments to real-world plant communities and finds that experimental results are robust to the inclusion of unrealistic communities.

Conserved DNA polymorphisms distinguish species in the eastern North American white oak syngameon: Insights from an 80-SNP oak DNA genotyping toolkit

The paper tests whether conserved DNA polymorphisms distinguish species in eastern North American white oaks, finding that species remain genetically distinct despite introgression.

Genomic landscape of the global oak phylogeny

This study investigates oak genome diversity and phylogeny using RAD-seq data, finding that oak diversity is shaped by gene flow and genomic mosaicism.