Kristina StinsonKristina Stinson

Associate Professor, Plant Ecology and Conservation

Graduate Program Director

Email:

Lab Website: Stinson Lab Website

Google Scholar profile

Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests

My research is focused on plant species’ responses to biophysical stress and climate variation in forests, cities, and alpine ecosystems.  This work is driven by theoretical questions about plant life histories, and how local processes within and among plant populations can help explain broader geographic distributions. The unifying goals of this work are: 1) to advance fundamental research in experimental plant population dynamics and ecology; and 2) to provide scientific guidance for restoration, management, and species conservation.

Current Projects

  • Novel Species Interactions
    • Suppression of native species interactions by invasive plants
    • Interactive effects of invasion and abiotic change on plant-soil feedbacks
    • Ecology and impacts of invasive mustards in sub-alpine meadow ecosystems
  • Ecotypic variation across climate gradients
    • Altitudinal ecotypes in the Brassicaceae
    • Red Hot Maples: Effects of climate on physiology and distribution of Acer species
    • Mapping Allergy Hotspots in New England
  • Source-sink population dynamics and Ecological Traps
    • Reproductive timing and extinction risks in alpine plants
    • Edge-to-understory demographics in garlic mustard invasion
    • Ecological Traps

Courses Taught

  • NRC 212
  • EnvSci 214
  • NRC 597PE

Education

PhD – Princeton University

Selected Publications

For a complete list of publications and more information, please see Google Scholar profile.

  • Bradley, B.A., Allen, J.M., O’Neill, M.W., Wallace, R.D., Bargeron, C.T., Richburg, J.A., and Stinson, K.A. (2018).  Invasive species risk assessments need more consistent spatial abundance data. Ecosphere (in press).
  • Haines, D.F., Aylward, J.A., and Stinson, K.A. (2018) Regional patterns of floristic diversity and composition in forests Invaded by garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). Northeastern Naturalist (in press).
  • Stinson, K.A., Albertine, J. M., Seidler, T. G., and Rogers, C. A. (2017) Elevated CO2 boosts reproduction and alters selection in northern but not southern ecotypes of allergenic ragweed. American Journal of Botany 104:1313-1322.
  • Anthony, M.A., Frey, S.D., and Stinson, K.A. (2017) Fungal community homogenization, shift in dominant trophic guild, and appearance of novel taxa with biotic invasion.  Ecosphere 8: e01951
  • Wheeler, J.A., Frey, S.D. and Stinson, K.A. (2017) Tree seedling responses to multiple environmental stresses: Interactive effects of soil warming, nitrogen fertilization, and plant invasion. Forest Ecology and Management 403: 44-51.
  • Wheeler, J.A., Gonzalez, N.M., and Stinson, K.A. (2016) Red hot maples: Acer rubrum phenology, growth and biomass allocation under climate warming. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 47(2): 159-165.
  • Stinson, K. A., Albertine, J. M., Hancock, L.M.S., Seidler, T. G., Rogers, C. A. (2016) Northern ragweed ecotypes flower earlier and longer in response to elevated CO2: What are you sneezing at? Oecologia 182: 587–594.
  • Albertine, J.A., Manning, W.J., Muilenburg, M.L., Stinson, K.A., and Rogers, C.A. (2014) Projected carbon dioxide to increase grass pollen and allergen exposure despite higher ozone levels. PLoS One 9:e111712.
  • Stinson, K.A., and Seidler, T.G. (2014) Physiological constraints on the spread of Alliaria petiolata populations in Massachusetts. Ecosphere 5:art96.
  • Stinson, K.A., Campbell, S.A., Powell, J.R., Wolfe, B.E., Callaway, R.M., Thelen, G.C., Hallett, S.G., Prati, D., and Klironomos, J.N. (2006) Invasive plant suppresses the growth of native tree seedlings by disrupting belowground mutualisms. PLOS Biology 4:727-731.