Loik Lab
Plant and ecosystem responses to climate change

Research

My research examines the physiological responses of plants and ecosystems to climate change. The primary focus is on the effects of anthropogenically altered patterns of rain and snowfall on plant and ecosystem functions. My research group also studies how other global changes (including elevated carbon dioxide, increased temperature, and nitrogen deposition) will affect plants and ecosystems.

Our main research site is at the Valentine Eastern Sierra UC Reserve, near Mammoth Lakes, CA. We work closely with the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the National Forest Service, Caltrans, the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Inyo County Water, and the Mammoth Community Water District, to help inform management decisions.

Santa Cruz weather
Mammoth Lakes weather