Cynthia Brown

Assistant Professor

Cynthia.S.Brown@ColoState.edu Brown Lab Website
C034 Plant Sciences
(970) 491-1949

I am currently studying the invasion of plant species into established prairie communities and mechanisms resulting in the range expansion of the exotic annual grass Bromus tectorum in high elevations. I have long been interested in the mechanisms that control the coexistence of plants and the effects of species diversity and composition on ecosystem characteristics (e.g. productivity, resource abundance, and biological invasions). Greater understanding of the factors that control the establishment and growth of new species will improve ecological theory and invasive species management, and our ability to predict which communities are vulnerable to invasion and which invaders will have the greatest impacts. I strive to conduct research that tests ecological theory while addressing practical problems of conservation and management. I am especially interested in grasslands and restoration ecology and plan to compare community and ecosystem processes in different ecosystems in future work.

Courses I Teach:

Ecology and Management of Weeds (BSPM 308) (Fall)

Invasive Plants and Weeds: Ecosystems to Molecules (BSPM 528) (Spring Odd Years)

Representative Publications:

A. Sher, C.S. Brown, S. Gieck, S. Nissen. In press. Cheatgrassinvasion followingtamarisk control and restoration-related disturbances. Restoration Ecology.

J.P. Freeman, T.J. Stohlgren, M.E. Hunter, P.N. Omi, E.J. Martinson, G.W. Chong, and C.S. Brown. In press. Rapid Assessment of Post-Fire Plant Invasions in Coniferous Forests of the Western U.S. Ecological Applications.

H.I. Rowe, C.S. Brown, and V. Claassen. 2007. Comparisons of mycorrhizal dependency with field soil and commercial inoculum for seven native montane species and Bromus tectorum. Restoration Ecology 15:44-52.

C. S. Brown. 2004.  Are functional guilds more realistic management units than individual species for restoration? Weed Technology 18:1566-1571.

Fargione, J., C.S. Brown, and D. Tilman. 2003. Community assembly and invasion: An experimental test of neutral versus niche processes. Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences 100:8916-8920.