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Monica G. Turner

@monicagturner.bsky.social

1.5K followers 86 following 73 posts

Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Co-editor in Chief of Ecosystems; works on forest ecology, fire ecology, disturbance dynamics, working landscapes, ecosystem services, ecosystem modeling. Likes biking, hiking and classical music. .. more

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Monica G. Turner is an American ecologist known for her work at Yellowstone National Park since the large fires of 1988. She is currently the Eugene P. Odum Professor of Ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. .. more

Environmental science 71%

Geography 18%

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Ankur R. Desai

Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin @uwchancellor.bsky.social · 1d

WOO HOO!! Proud to share that TWO @uwmadison.bsky.social faculty were just announced as 2025 MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” recipients. HUGE congrats to Ángel F. Adames Corraliza & Sébastien Phillipe, doing amazing work on tropical storms & nuclear security, respectively.👏

Two UW–Madison professors named MacArthur Fellows

Atmospheric scientist Ángel F. Adames Corraliza and nuclear security specialist Sébastien Philippe, professors at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, have been awarded 2025 MacArthur Fellowships.

news.wisc.edu

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Ben Bond‐Lamberty

Steve Carpenter @steve-carpenter.bsky.social · 10d

Altered controls of ANPP between two LT studies at Konza Prairie (1975-1993 & 2005-2023): doubled response to fire, greater impact of rising VPD. Ecosystems doi.org/10.1007/s100... @monicagturner.bsky.social

Revisiting Patterns and Controls of Productivity in a Mesic Grassland 30 Years Later: Do We Know Now What We Knew Then? - Ecosystems

Given the rapid pace of global change, determining if our past understanding of the controls of ecosystem structure and function remains robust today is essential for managing and conserving ecosystems. Here, we revisit a foundational study that evaluated patterns and controls of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) across topographic gradients and in response to fire frequency treatments from 1975 to 1993 in tallgrass prairie (Konza Prairie). We replicated this 30-year-old study for a contemporary period (2005–2023) and found that overall patterns of ANPP across fire treatments and topographic gradients remained consistent. However, the magnitude of ANPP responses to fire increased substantially (> twofold) in lowlands, resulting in greater landscape-scale divergence in ANPP. Differences in temporal variability among topographic positions and fire regimes also increased (~ fourfold). Annual precipitation remained a primary determinant of ANPP, but atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD) has emerged as a new driver in contemporary times. Furthermore, air temperature and deep soil moisture have now become significant controls of ANPP in unburned grassland. We conclude that despite myriad global changes, the primary controls of ANPP have not changed dramatically over three decades, but additional drivers have emerged (notably VPD), and the magnitude of responses to fire have been altered. Increased spatial variation in ANPP as well as interannual variability in ANPP differing more strongly among sites will be particularly challenging for managing this rare grassland. As temperatures and VPD continue to increase, additional revision to our understanding of the functioning of this and other ecosystems will likely be necessary.

doi.org

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner

Steve Carpenter @steve-carpenter.bsky.social · 10d

Decadal recovery of previously-drained peatlands - implication for C storage? Ecosystems doi.org/10.1007/s100... @monicagturner.bsky.social

Effect of Restoration on Physical and Chemical Peat Properties in Previously Drained Boreal Peatlands - Ecosystems

There is a societal demand to restore drained boreal peatlands for purposes of improving water quality and biodiversity and lowering emissions of greenhouse gases. Restoration measures are costly and neither the effects of drainage nor restoration on biogeochemical processes in the peat, and in downstream environments are well understood. This study assesses how 60–100 years of drainage followed by 6–9 years of restored conditions have changed the physical and chemical peat properties in restored boreal peatlands. Eight pairs of restored and natural peatlands were sampled down to 50 cm (n = 3 for each site). Each of the 50 cm peat cores was sliced into 25 two-centimetre discs, generating high-resolution records of the dry bulk density (BD), organic matter content (OM), C- and N- content, δ13C, and δ15N. Peat from the restored sites showed significantly higher BD and lower C:N ratio and OM content than the reference sites. Furthermore, peat from restored peatlands was systematically depleted in δ13C, and the OM was enriched in C and N. Long-term drainage could cause increased peat decomposition, leaving altered physical and chemical peat properties. For example, the C content in OM increases as the residual peat is enriched in aromatic and aliphatic moieties following decomposition. For the same reason, degraded peat can be δ13C depleted. Interestingly, differences between the restored and pristine sites were mainly found at 20–50 cm depth. Given the low peat formation rates in nutrient-poor peatlands, the superficial 20 cm peat was potentially recovering from drainage even before restoration.

doi.org

Reposted by Monica G. Turner

Steve Carpenter @steve-carpenter.bsky.social · 10d

Bottlenecks to organic energy flow through pelagic foodweb - Bay of Biscay. Ecosystems doi.org/10.1007/s100... @monicagturner.bsky.social

Identifying Bottlenecks to Energy Circulation in the Bay of Biscay Pelagic Food Web: Key Species Under the Spotlight - Ecosystems

Understanding the functioning and resilience of marine ecosystems requires identifying the main energy flow pathways. Key trophic groups occupy strategic positions in the trophic interactions network, acting as hubs that control the energy distribution across the ecosystem. This study examines the Bay of Biscay’s pelagic food web using stable isotope analysis with stomach content data, creating a network of 38 trophic groups and 125 interactions. Both annual-weighted and seasonal (spring and late summer) networks were constructed. The analysis of unweighted and weighted annual networks found that low-trophic level epipelagic fish (European anchovy, Engraulis encrasicolus; sardine, Sardina pilchardus; and sprat, Sprattus sprattus) is a key trophic group displaying higher scores in many centrality indices. These forage fish play a central role in facilitating energy transfer across trophic levels, thus representing a critical link between the planktonic food web and higher trophic level predators and fisheries. Overall, annual networks showed that phytoplankton-dominated grazing chains support a higher diversity of predators compared to chains originating from particulate organic matter (POM). The analysis of weighted networks accounting for seasonal variations in trophic interactions revealed that, during late summer, predators occupy more vulnerable positions than in spring. Changes in feeding preferences cause blue whiting to shift from mostly depending on grazing chains during spring to occupying a position along POM-dominated chains in late summer. These findings highlight the need for fisheries management strategies to prioritize the conservation of key trophic groups supplying energy to predators while considering seasonal shifts in the structure of the energy flow network.

doi.org

Reposted by Monica G. Turner

Steve Carpenter @steve-carpenter.bsky.social · 10d

Local to global: how stomates alter the water cycle. Rocha, Armesto et al. in Ecosystems doi.org/10.1007/s100... @monicagturner.bsky.social

Atmosphere, Vegetation, and Soil Water Coupling Determined by Stomatal Regulation of Transpiration - Ecosystems

Stomatal regulation plays a critical role in controlling tree water loss and mediating atmosphere–vegetation–soil water coupling, yet the implications of species-specific differences in stomatal regulation on this coupling remain poorly understood. Drimys species possess primitive leaf anatomy with limited stomatal closure capacity, while Nothofagus exhibits more effective stomatal control. We compared multi-year sap flux data from these two co-occurring Southern Chilean species to evaluate how stomatal traits influence water-coupling dynamics across timescales. Using boosted regression tree modeling and wavelet coherence analysis, we found that while both species showed similar functional responses to environmental drivers, the relative importance of these drivers differed between them. Both Drimys and Nothofagus responded to VPD, but Drimys sap flux was more strongly influenced by soil moisture, particularly during early season wet periods and late-season drought. In contrast, Nothofagus showed greater dependence on light and vapor pressure deficit (VPD), reflecting tighter stomatal regulation. Wavelet coherence analyses further confirmed stronger soil moisture control of sap flux in Drimys, especially at weekly to sub-seasonal timescales, and provided evidence that stomatal regulation can either buffer or amplify late-season soil moisture deficits. These findings suggest Drimys follows a high water use, low-conservation strategy closely tied to soil moisture, whereas Nothofagus demonstrates more conservative water use governed by atmospheric conditions. The strong soil moisture dependence of Drimys may increase its vulnerability to future warming and drying trends, with implications for forest composition and hydrological modeling in a changing climate.

doi.org

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Mor Naaman, Ben Bond‐Lamberty , and 7 more Monica G. Turner, Mor Naaman, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Delphine K. Farmer, Michael A. Clemens, Gernot Wagner, Dean Eckles, W Grant, Jason Williams, Christina Pagel

Science Magazine @science.org · 12d

NSF today released instructions for the next round of applicants to its Graduate Research Fellowship Program. A key group—second-year Ph.D. students—is no longer eligible, and students who are still able to apply will face an unusually narrow timeframe. https://scim.ag/3KlQkQk

‘Completely shattered.’ Changes to NSF’s graduate student fellowship spur outcry

The announcement comes months later than usual, leaving many would-be applicants stranded

www.science.org

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Scott L. Greer

Science Magazine @science.org · 13d

U.S. President Donald Trump hopes to boost opportunities for domestic scientists by making it prohibitively expensive for universities to hire international faculty and staff. https://scim.ag/3Klmxai

Trump visa policy requires universities to pay huge fee to hire foreign scholars

U.S. employers to pay $100,000 for every new H-1B visa

scim.ag

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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 13d

New: After a long wait, the GRFP solicitation is live! Deadlines have been extended to early November, so applicants have a bit over a month to submit. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

www.nsf.gov

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Reposted by Brian J. Enquist, Monica G. Turner, Robin J. Pakeman

Nate Swenson @nateswenson.bsky.social · 13d

provost.nd.edu/news/notre-d...

An exciting opportunity for postdocs here at Notre Dame. I would excited to mentor anyone outstanding candidate in temperate or tropical forest ecology. Pass along to folks looking for a position in 2026!

Notre Dame opens applications for 2026 Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship program

The University of Notre Dame is accepting applications for the next cohort of…

provost.nd.edu

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner

INSTAAR 🏳️‍🌈 @instaar.bsky.social · 14d

🔥 Wildfires are causing earlier ❄️ snowmelt across the western U.S.

For this new research, INSTAAR Fellow Karl Rittger teamed with Arielle Koshkin & Adrienne Marshall of the Colorado School of Mines.
www.minesnewsroom.com/news/snow-me...

Snow melts earlier in burned forests, new Science Advances study finds

Wildfires are causing earlier snowmelt across the western U.S., and this effect would only be exacerbated by projected warmer winters. This is according to a new study led by Colorado School of Mines…

www.minesnewsroom.com

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Reposted by Ben Bond‐Lamberty

Monica G. Turner @monicagturner.bsky.social · 19d

YES to checking citations (and having read what was cited, and correctly citing what the paper actually said.)

Science Magazine @science.org · 20d

"Treating careful scholarship as somehow less important than the acquisition of data can adversely affect the reliability of the scientific record and consequently, the course of science," writes H. Holden Thorp in a new #ScienceEditorial. https://scim.ag/4mqrKet

"... checking citations is just as important as carrying out experiments ..." - H. Holden Thorp, Editor of Science journals.

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Clark Gray

Science Magazine @science.org · 19d

One of the premier U.S. graduate fellowships is mired in uncertainty as would-be applicants await overdue details about how to apply for the upcoming year’s awards. https://scim.ag/4nlRhqc

Delays, uncertainty plague NSF fellowship for graduate students

After an unusual award process this year, applicants for next year are waiting for overdue guidelines

scim.ag

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Monica G. Turner @monicagturner.bsky.social · 19d

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

EPA tells scientists to stop publishing studies, employees say

Staff from the EPA’s Office of Water were summoned to a town hall meeting this week and told to pause the publication of most research, pending a review.

www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Juli G. Pausas, Ben Bond‐Lamberty , and 2 more Monica G. Turner, Juli G. Pausas, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Márk E. Hauber, John R. Hutchinson

Corrie Moreau @corriemoreau.bsky.social · 19d

UPDATE: The 2025-2026 list of faculty and postdoc positions in ecology and evolutionary biology is out! Be sure to check out this active and helpful community run resources! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

ecoevojobs.net 2025-26

docs.google.com

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner

Mike Dettinger @mdettinger.bsky.social · 19d

New Science Advances paper on the feedback loop between loss of snow feeding more wildfire, and wildfire resulting in earlier snowmelt. As to latter, in snow obs, under average conditions, snow melts earlier during 1st-yr postfire in 99%(!) of western snow zones.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Impact of current and warmer climate conditions on snow cover loss in burned forests

Wildfires are causing earlier snowmelt across the western US, and this effect would be exacerbated with projected warmer winters.

www.science.org

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Ben Bond‐Lamberty

Science Magazine @science.org · 20d

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner

Nature Ecology & Evolution @natecoevo.nature.com · 21d

Species Spotlight 🚨

Heliconia tortuosa: What being outsmarted by a tropical plant taught Matthew Betts @mattbetts42.bsky.social about science. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Free to read: rdcu.be/eG4e0

Heliconia tortuosa - Nature Ecology & Evolution

What being outsmarted by a tropical plant taught Matthew Betts about science.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner

Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · 21d

Here's the link to the full NAS report:
nap.nationalacademies.org/initiative/c...

Initiatives|Committee on Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases and U.S. Climate: Evidence and Impacts | The National Academies Press

Scholoarly publications by the initiative, Committee on Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases and U.S. Climate: Evidence and Impacts, inconjunction with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Me...

nap.nationalacademies.org

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Francis Martin, Ben Bond‐Lamberty , and 2 more Monica G. Turner, Francis Martin, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Michael Nelson, Brian J. Harvey

Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 23d

Forest ecologist Mark Harmon has been exhaustively examining dead logs for 40 years, and he’s found a complex world few people see

He’s Spent 40 Years Studying Dead Trees—Here’s What He’s Found

Forest ecologist Mark Harmon has been exhaustively examining dead logs for 40 years, and he’s found a complex world few people see

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Oliver L. Phillips, Monica G. Turner, Ingolf Kühn , and 3 more Oliver L. Phillips, Monica G. Turner, Ingolf Kühn, Ana S. L. Rodrigues, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Jonathan Lenoir

Sandra M Durán @sandramduran.bsky.social · Sep 6

Looking for a #postdoct for a NSF project integrating ecosystem productivity, hyperspectral remote sensing and airborne LiDAR to test prominent hypothesis of the effect of #biodiversity on #forest #productivity @fluxnetecn.bsky.social @ngaps.bsky.social Apply at: jobs.colostate.edu/postings/165...

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Trevor A. Branch

Pew Research Center @pewresearch.org · Sep 4

We asked Americans about 16 federal agencies. The National Park Service and National Weather Service were among the most favorable. www.pewresearch.org/...

Chart shows Americans largely view the National Park Service, National Weather Service and USPS favorably

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner

Science Magazine @science.org · Aug 29

The population directly exposed to wildland fires increased by 40% globally from 2002 to 2021, according to a new study in Science. https://scim.ag/4oUL1Y1

Increasing global human exposure to wildland fires despite declining burned area

Although half of Earth’s population resides in the wildland-urban interface, human exposure to wildland fires remains unquantified. We show that the population directly exposed to wildland fires incre...

scim.ag

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Daniel Kim

Science Magazine @science.org · Aug 29

Susan Monarez, who clashed with the U.S. health secretary over vaccine policy, refuses to step down from her role as CDC director. https://scim.ag/3JBAj8w

Attempt to oust CDC director sparks key resignations by agency officials

Susan Monarez, who clashed with the U.S. health secretary over vaccine policy, refuses to step down

scim.ag

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Tobias Kuemmerle, Jussi T. Eronen

Yale Environment 360 @yalee360.bsky.social · Aug 29

The restoration of bison to the Yellowstone region has had a remarkable impact on grasslands, a new study finds.

In Yellowstone, Restored Bison Replenish Grasslands

e360.yale.edu

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Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Monica G. Turner

solhog @solhog.bsky.social · Aug 28

”As long as countries burn oil, gas and coal, global temperatures will rise and the risk of massive, fast-spreading fires will continue to increase,” said @frediotto.bsky.social, a climate science professor at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College…”
www.politico.eu/article/clim...

Climate change made summer wildfires in southeastern Europe 10 times more likely, scientists say

More than 1 million hectares have gone up in flames this year, making 2025 the worst wildfire season on record in Europe.

www.politico.eu

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Erle C. Ellis, Brian J. Harvey

juli g pausas @jgpausas.bsky.social · Aug 25

New paper: The role of fire on Earth
doi.org/10.1093/bios... BioScience @aibsbiology.bsky.social
Fire affects all major components of the Earth system: atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, anthroposphere, & biosphere. Fire is an intrinsic factor on our planet.

🧪🌍🔥🌳🌿🌐 wildfire

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Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Ben Bond‐Lamberty

Sophie Gilbert @sophielgilbert.bsky.social · Aug 25

Forests are burning MUCH bigger and hotter in the Western US... annual area burned increased 10-fold from 1985-2022, and area burned severely increased 15-fold! And hotter, drier fire weather is part of the problem (plus fire suppression & fuels buildup, ofc)

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Intensifying Fire Season Aridity Portends Ongoing Expansion of Severe Wildfire in Western US Forests

Area burned by wildfire has increased in western US forests over recent decades. However, high-severity fire—fire that kills all or most trees—is also an important metric of fire activity given its d...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Monica G. Turner @monicagturner.bsky.social · Aug 25

Thank you to the editors and pubs committee of @agu.org for strong statement the EO on "Restoring Gold Standard Science". Please read!

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

The Executive Order “Restoring Gold Standard Science” is Dangerous for America

You have to enable JavaScript in your browser's settings in order to use the eReader.

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Monica G. Turner, Julie L. Lockwood, Elena Litchman , and 4 more Monica G. Turner, Julie L. Lockwood, Elena Litchman, Karen R. Lips, Trevor A. Branch, Stephen D. Murphy, Frédéric Delsuc

Dr. K. Lotterhos @drk-lo.bsky.social · Aug 25

Today 14 scientific societies in #ecology #evolution and #marineScience are publishing the results of a survey that finds negative impacts of federal policies on food security, flood mitigation, infectious disease preparedness, and wildlife conservation: 🧪👩‍🔬 www.firsthandaccounts.org/impacts/2025...

This infographic describes the main results from a survey of members of 14 scientific societies. There is a pie chart showing that both academic (58%) and non-academic (42%) responded to the survey. It lists statistics: 85% of respondents reported uncertainty about the future; 71% reported federal training programs were "very" or "extremely important"; 83% reported negative impacts or irreparable harm on their field of science. There is a word cloud summarizing open-ended responses with the largest words "student research fund federal grant". Eight major themes in the responses are listed: disruption of research with societal important; concerns of closure of the USGS Bird Banding Lab; Early Career Bottleneck; Restricted Freedoms including travel and speech; Decline in Government Efficiency and Expertise; Concerns about Biased/Removed Data and Data Gaps; Concerns about the Ability to Meet Legal Mandates; and From Positive Impact to Irreparable Harm. There are icons for each participating society and a QR code for website and data availability.

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Monica G. Turner @monicagturner.bsky.social · Aug 21

Important paper, thanks! We are seeing this play out.

GrumpyUncleSean🔥 @grumpyunclesean.bsky.social · Aug 21

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Please see our new paper just published in Global Change Biology: “Intensifying fire season aridity portends ongoing expansion of severe wildfire in western US forests”. 🧪🌍🔥

Intensifying Fire Season Aridity Portends Ongoing Expansion of Severe Wildfire in Western US Forests

doi.org