About the Ecology Program
The mission of the Ecology program is to provide the highest quality education in ecology through advanced training in current ecological methods, theories, controversies, applications, and teaching methods by drawing on the great depth and breadth of ecological expertise at Colorado State University and in our local community of scientists. We follow CSU’s Principles of Community in our work, which focus on inclusion, integrity, respect, service, and social justice.
For an overview of the program, see a recent annual report.
Recent Highlights
Dr. Francesca Cotrufo and Dr. Melinda Smith have been named Colorado State University Distinguished Professors, the highest academic honor for tenured CSU faculty.
Francesca Cotrufo, above left, is recognized globally as a pioneering soil expert. Her work has significant impact and broad application for soil enhancement in working lands and soil management for carbon storage. She has been recognized five times as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, indicating she is in the top 1% of her field.
Melinda Smith is a plant community ecologist who focuses on the Great Plains grasslands of the United States. Smith has worked to launch the International Drought Experiment. Smith has published more than 227 peer-reviewed research papers, and her work has garnered more than $15 million in funding from many federal research agencies.
Three GDPE students were selected as 2026-2027 Sustainability Leadership Fellows for the School of Global Environmental Sustainability (SoGES). This fellowship program provides science communication training and other professional development opportunities for 20 advanced PhD students and postdoctoral scholars each year. Congratulations to Adriana Jacobi, Alexandra Badeau, and Joseph Toman!
Congratulations to Levi Burdine, Qunicey Hanson, and George Kinney for being awarded within the Graduate Research Fellowship Program!! A huge accomplishment that deserves recognition.
The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and strength of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. Since 1952, the program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, including STEM education. NSF GRFP was established to recruit and support individuals who demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions in STEM, including STEM education. NSF encourages applications from the full spectrum of talent that the U.S. has to offer.
CSU Ecologists in the News
PhD student, Matt Sturchio, was interviewed for a story in The Colorado Sun on the benefits of agrivoltaic installations. In the article, Matt shares that increased biodiversity and drought resilience is a win for Coloradan landowners. Photovoltaic panels, like those at Jack’s Solar Garden where Matt conducts his research, could also be useful in grasslands and pastures to provide shade for plants and livestock.
GDPE faculty member George Wittemeyer and postdoctoral fellow Mickey Pardo were highlighted in the New York Times when they discovered that elephants have unique calls used to address specific family members. They used machine learning to determine name-like components within the calls that clearly identified the intended recipient.
GDPE faculty members Melinda Smith and Alan Knapp were featured in CSU SOURCE for a multi-year project that revealed how extreme drought impacts productivity and species richness differently in Eurasian vs. North American grasslands. Their study highlights the importance of management strategies that promote and sustain plant diversity to bolster resistance against climate change.
Recent publication highlights from students and faculty
Biological Conservation (February 2025)
In this study, scientists from multiple agencies and research institutions—including GDPE members Peder Engelstad, Helen Sofaer, Kristin Davis, and Kurt VerCauteren—conducted a horizon scan of nearly 15,000 imported vertebrate species to assess their risk of establishment, spread, and negative impacts in the United States. The resulting ranked list of vertebrate threats can help prioritize watchlists and guide the development of targeted import regulations, providing a rapid, preliminary screening tool for large pools of potential invaders across regions.
Nature Ecology & Evolution (January 2025)
In this study, GDPE faculty member Dr. Anping Chen and a team of researchers find that forest gain does not mirror forest loss– replacing the same amount of forest lost cannot restore the resilience diminished by that loss.
Plants, People, Planet (July 2024)
In this study, Matt Sturchio (GDPE PhD Grad) and Alan Knapp (GDPE Senior Ecologist) evaluated the impact of photovoltaic solar array microenvironments on plant ecophysiological responses. While light-saturated photosynthetic rates were consistent regardless of microsite shading, vapor pressure deficits were better predictors of plant water relations and biomass production than soil moisture. These findings can inform the management of future solar arrays to enhance ecosystem services.