Research
My research draws from landscape ecology, statistical modeling, and biogeography to understand the determinates of species abundance and diversity through space and time. I use a combined approach of field studies, ecoinformatics, and analytical models to tease apart the influence of different driving processes on single and multi-species patterns in plants and birds.
Research Foci:
What processes drive patterns of species richness and turnover?
There is a vast number of potentially competing hypotheses for the drivers of species richness and turnover. Many of these hypotheses are likely to be valid at least in some contexts; therefore, I think it is important to develop empirical and analytical frameworks that provide a means to examine the relative importance of various driving processes.
My work in this area has focused on the species-time-area relationship and patterns of distance decay. I’m also interested in discovering new ways to link patterns of species covariance with ecological theory.
Relevant Publications:
McGlinn, D.J. and A.H. Hurlbert. 2012. Scale dependence in species turnover reflects variance in species occupancy. Ecology. pdf , appendices
Scheiner, S.M., A. Chiarucci, G.A. Fox, M.R. Helmus, D.J. McGlinn, and M.R. Willig. 2011. The underpinnings of the relationship between space, time, and species richness. Ecological Monographs. 81: 195-213. pdf
McGlinn, D.J. and M.W. Palmer. 2011. Quantifying the influence of environmental texture on the rate of species turnover – evidence from two habitats. Plant Ecology. 212: 495–506. pdf
McGlinn, D.J. and M.W. Palmer. 2010. Spatial structure alters the shape of the unimodal species richness-biomass relationship in a neutral model. Diversity. 2: 550-560. pdf , appendices
McGlinn, D.J. and M.W. Palmer. 2009. Modeling the sampling effect in the species-time-area relationship. Ecology. 90:836-846. pdf , appendices
Quantitative methods in community ecology
My interest in patterns of species richness and turnover has led me to take an increasingly rigorous look at the statistical methods ecologists use to detect patterns and infer processes. Towards this end I’m interested in how we can best use multivariate statistics and neutral and null models to test theory with data.
Relevant Publications:
Palmer, M.W., D.J. McGlinn, and J.F. Fridley. 2008. Artifacts and artifictions in biodiversity research. Folia Geobotanica. 43:245-257. pdf
Palmer, M.W., D.J. McGlinn, L. Westerberg, and P. Milberg. 2008. Indices for detecting changes in species composition: some simplifications. Ecology. 89:1769-1771. pdf, appendices
McGlinn, D.J. and A.H. Hurlbert. submitted. Disentangling within- and between-species components of spatial community variation reveals processes driving community assembly. Oikos. (ESA 2011 Slides & Associated R package)
Disturbance as a driver of community composition and as a tool for process-based restoration
Historical processes, such as past disturbances, can have strong impacts on the structure and composition of our ecosystems. Additionally, restoration ecologists have been increasingly interested in using disturbance such as a prescribed fire and mowing to manage and restore ecosystems. Much of this work rests upon the Natural Variability Hypothesis which asserts that the diversity and health of natural systems can be improved through the usage of heterogeneous management regimes.
Thus far I’ve been interested in documenting the response of both plants and birds to disturbances (e.g., prescribed fire, tornado damage) as well as attempting to understand the importance of these responses within the context of restoration ecology.
Relevant Publications:
McGlinn, D.J., P.J. Earls, and M.W. Palmer. in prep. The influence of variation in fire and grazing species relative to inherent landscape heterogeneity on the vegetation of a tallgrass prairie.
McGlinn, D.J., R.J. Churchill, and M.W. Palmer. 2010. Effects of a tornado on a Cross Timbers bird community. The Southwestern Naturalist. 55: 460-466. pdf
I’m interested in developing the application side of my theoretical research for the conservation of diversity. Specifically, I’m interested in the implications of patterns of species turnover and source-sink dynamics for optimal reserve and predicting the effects of climate change. Although I am not currently actively perusing these lines of research, I’m interested in collaborations that may lead me towards addressing these issues.
Relevant Publications:
Applequist, W.L., D. J. McGlinn, M. Miller, Q.G. Long, and J.S. Miller. 2007. How well do herbarium data predict the location of present populations? A test using Echinacea species in Missouri. Biodiversity and Conservation. 16:1397-1407. pdf
McGlinn, D.J. and M.W. Palmer. Spatial structure alters the shape of the unimodal species richness-biomass relationship in a neutral model. Diversity.
