S. Luke Flory
Ph.D. Candidate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Dr. Keith Clay’s lab
Indiana University Department of Biology
What will plant communities of the future look like? Will invasions of exotic plants homogenize communities, reduce biodiversity, and alter forest systems? How can we manage plant invasions? If plant invasions are eradicated, can we restore native plant communities? These questions are fundamentally important for the successful conservation and management of native habitats.
My research is at the interface of basic and applied ecology, combining questions about the process of plant invasions with the impacts of invasions and restoration of invaded systems. I use observational studies, modeling, and field, greenhouse, and growth chamber experiments to examine the causes, consequences, and management of exotic plant invasions in eastern deciduous forests.