Suding

Katharine Suding named a 2025 Franklin Institute Bower Award winner (Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine)

David J Lubinski — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 00:48:15 +0000

Katharine Suding named a 2025 Franklin Institute Bower Award winner (Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine) David J Lubinski Fri, 02/14/2025 - 17:48

CU �鶹ӰԺ distinguished professor Katharine Suding was recognized for making “transformative contributions to restoration ecology by increasing our understanding of degraded ecosystems and their recovery dynamics.”

Off

Traditional

White

Franklin Institute selects Katharine Suding for the Bower Award for Achievement in Science

David J Lubinski — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 21:41:28 +0000

Franklin Institute selects Katharine Suding for the Bower Award for Achievement in Science David J Lubinski Thu, 02/06/2025 - 14:41

Gabe Allen

The Franklin Institute named INSTAAR Faculty Fellow Katharine Suding the recipient of the Bower Award and Prize for achievement in Science today, citing her “transformative contributions to restoration ecology.”

Katharine Suding

Each year, the Bower Awards go to outstanding scientists and innovators who have led paradigm shifts in their respective fields. Past winners include Jane Goodall, Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein and Marie Curie.

“These are some of the greatest minds and most influential pioneers of our time,” Franklin Institute President and CEO Larry Dubinski wrote in a press release.

Suding has pioneered theoretical shifts, experimental methods and collaborative efforts with land managers since she entered the field of restoration ecology more than 25 years ago. Her work has influenced ecologists around the world. Suding’s 2004 paper “Alternative states and positive feedbacks in restoration ecology,” remains the most highly-cited article in the field to this day.

Though her theoretical contributions to the field have had a global impact, much of Suding’s work is locally-focused. At INSTAAR, she led the Niwot Ridge Long-term Ecological Research Program from 2013-2023. It is an ongoing National Science Foundation-funded project that has produced insights into alpine ecology for more than 40 years. She also recently formed a collaboration with local municipalities in �鶹ӰԺ that applies insights from grassland ecology research toward mitigating wildfire risk.

On May 1, Suding will join nine other 2025 Franklin Institute Laureates for a ceremony at the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial in Philadelphia. INSTAAR sat down with the eminent restoration ecologist for a Q&A on the eve of the big announcement.

What was your path to restoration ecology?

I grew up in Evergreen, Colorado, and I was always really interested in the natural world. I especially loved the open spaces that we have around here and, later in my career, I think that’s why I always sought out grasslands.

Anyways, because of my interests, it made sense to pursue biology and ecology during my undergrad at Williams. When I got to graduate school, I was really interested in theory and quantitative approaches, but I also wanted to be able to work with land managers and provide something useful. That’s when I started to get interested in restoration.

Suding stands under a favorite apple tree, �鶹ӰԺ Open Space. Credit: Matt Talarico, Impact Media Lab.

At the time, it was a pretty new field — it really started in the late 80s and early 90s. One of the premises back then was that if you know how a system works and how all the pieces of the web of life fit together, then you should know how to put those pieces back into a degraded system and restore it. An often-repeated quote from the 80s was that "land restoration is the acid test of our ecological understanding.”

It was pretty appealing to be able to take ideas from the basic science side of things and use them for restoration. And, if that framework did work, it would create a really important role for ecology in terms of providing solutions to some of the negative impacts that humans have had on the environment.

But, I soon realized that this concept was a very simplified, human-centered way of thinking about things. So, one of the first things I started thinking about was shifting our understanding from thinking about ecosystems as linear to thinking about nonlinear dynamics. Maybe, when a system gets stuck in a degraded state, it’s actually stuck and not changing at all. And, if that’s true, you might actually be able to cross a threshold and cause really rapid recovery.

We were bringing in ideas from all kinds of complex system theories, like economics or even marriage dynamics. Really, we were thinking that maybe there’s a more productive way to approach restoration that takes into account alternative stable states.

You’re receiving this award, in part, because you played a major role in changing some of the fundamental theories in the field of restoration ecology. You just referenced some of the ideas in your now famous paper “Alternative states and positive feedbacks in restoration ecology.” What was the next big theoretical shift?

Yeah, so I think this is where you start to get into ideas that are a little more controversial. First, there’s this idea of novel ecosystems. It’s the idea that, in restoration, you might never fully get back to a historical reference state, for instance you might never be able to get rid of certain exotic species. Instead, you might be dealing with a new ecosystem that has no analog, but might still have some value. You might still have an ecosystem that benefits both nature and humans, but has changed forever.

Of course this makes things not so black and white. Some worry that it creates a slippery slope and that people could take advantage of it and say that anything they do is restoration.

But, I think it’s probably going to become less controversial as time goes on. We have to provide ways that people can actually use these ideas in the world. And, these concepts have also spurred growth for things like research into ecosystem services — how nature can provide services. Things like meeting the demands of a productive landscape for rangeland or increasing water holding capacity or controlling flooding.

We can accept that we’re not going to go back to the past, but still set strong goals and maintain strong ideals, like fostering biological diversity and developing nature-based solutions to problems.

I think a lot of people that are just learning about restoration now, like undergrads, are kind of surprised that this was even controversial. The reality is that everything is changing.

Suding's colleague Julie Larson checks instrumentation for the Drought Net Experiment, �鶹ӰԺ Open Space. Credit: Suding.

Suding's colleagues Laurel Brigham and Jane Smith prepare for tundra fieldwork, Niwot Ridge, Colorado. Credit: Nancy Shackelford.

When you look back at your career so far, what are some things that you are proud of?

I hope I have given people some ways to think about management a little bit out of the box. Ways to break negative feedback that aren’t just going with the status quo. I think that has resonated with some people.

I also hope that I've allowed people to think more intentionally about the goals for particular natural systems. Maybe, instead of beating yourself up because you'll never meet certain ideals, maybe you can consider the value that that piece of land still has. Really thinking about how management goals can shift without losing the conservation mandate.

What questions or problems drive your work today?

Locally, I think the Fire question is super important. We’re working on ways to balance managing fire risk with also supporting the incredible diversity we have in grasslands and their ability to store carbon in the soil. It’s a complex problem without a single overarching goal, but hopefully we can find some more balanced solutions.

One other thing that I’m curious about is potentially finding the best way to get Bison back onto our local grasslands. There’s a lot of potential in terms of both ecological health and cultural significance. This is still in the very early stages though, so who knows what will happen.

The UN declared this the decade of ecosystem restoration, and there’s been some debate over whether that means it’s just a decade of increased tree planting and reforestation, or if grasslands fit into that. These are sites that have huge conservation value on their own.

I think we need more appreciation of what we've been calling old growth grasslands. We can't see all the complexity, because it's below ground. But it's there. There's all sorts of crazy underground roots and dynamics that you could see if you flipped it over. I think it's as amazing as an old growth forest.

Suding heads out for fieldwork on �鶹ӰԺ Open Space. Credit: Matt Talarico, Impact Media Lab.

If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact Senior Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.

INSTAAR Faculty Fellow Katharine Suding received the Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science today for her “transformative contributions to restoration ecology.” INSTAAR sat down with the eminent ecologist for a Q&A on the eve of the big announcement.

Off

Traditional

White

Katharine Suding recognized as Eminent Ecologist 2023 (Journal of Ecology)

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Katharine Suding recognized as Eminent Ecologist 2023 (Journal of Ecology) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/08/2023 - 00:00

The Journal of Ecology has announced Katharine Suding as their Eminent Ecologist award recipient for 2023. Awards are given to those considered hugely influential within their fields of research and to have made outstanding contributions not just to Journal of Ecology, but to ecology in general. For the award, Suding assembled a virtual journal issue, wrote a blog post, and was interviewed.

Off

Traditional

White

$7.65 million grant to extend study of how climate change shapes life at 10,000 feet (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today)

Anonymous — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 22:34:00 +0000

$7.65 million grant to extend study of how climate change shapes life at 10,000 feet (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/03/2023 - 15:34

Kelsey Simpkins , CU �鶹ӰԺ

For more than 40 years, scientists from the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research program have worked to better understand high-alpine ecosystems in a warming world. Thanks to a new $7.65 million, six-year grant from the National Science Foundation, that work will continue, making Niwot Ridge LTER the longest-running NSF-funded program at CU �鶹ӰԺ.

Off

Traditional

White

Ongoing CU research explores impacts, solutions after Marshall Fire (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today)

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 23:43:25 +0000

Ongoing CU research explores impacts, solutions after Marshall Fire (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 12/21/2022 - 16:43

Kelsey Simpkins and Daniel Strain , CU �鶹ӰԺ

On Dec. 30, 2021, a fast-moving wildfire in suburban �鶹ӰԺ County became the costliest wildfire in Colorado history. It burned 6,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 homes and damaged thousands of others. The Marshall Fire also spurred researchers—many personally affected by the fire—to apply their expertise to the aftermath. A year later, dozens of ongoing research projects continue to explore the science behind the fire; its widespread impacts; and how we can mitigate future catastrophes in a changing climate.

Off

Traditional

White

To study impacts of longer, hotter summers, ecologists haul 5,000 pounds of sand up a mountain (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today)

Anonymous — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 21:06:36 +0000

To study impacts of longer, hotter summers, ecologists haul 5,000 pounds of sand up a mountain (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today) Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 09/12/2022 - 15:06

For the past five years, a team of research assistants and volunteers have hiked up Niwot Ridge in late May to set the stage for a unique experiment in which they spread 5,000 pounds of black sand across portions of the remaining snowpack. Their goal is to simulate the near-future effects of a warming planet on alpine ecosystems.

Off

Traditional

White

3 faculty members headed out on Fulbright Program (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today)

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 06:00:00 +0000

3 faculty members headed out on Fulbright Program (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/10/2022 - 00:00

Katharine Suding is among three CU �鶹ӰԺ faculty members who received Fulbright fellowships to study internationally. Suding will travel to the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, to work on a project called Recovery, Resilience and the Ecology of Change.

Off

Traditional

White

Oft-overlooked grasslands build biodiversity, resilience over centuries (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today)

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 03:36:02 +0000

Oft-overlooked grasslands build biodiversity, resilience over centuries (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today) Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/04/2022 - 21:36

Grasslands’ biodiversity and resilience to disturbances such as fire, heat and drought is the result of a slow process over hundreds of years, like that of old growth forests, finds new CU research led by INSTAAR Katharine Suding that was published today in Science. An implication of the research is that it's important to conserve grasslands that are still intact.

Off

Traditional

White

Lovenduski, Rahman, and Suding garner seed grants from CU Research & Innovation Office

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Lovenduski, Rahman, and Suding garner seed grants from CU Research & Innovation Office Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/18/2022 - 00:00

Shelly Sommer

Three INSTAAR researchers are among the recipients of Research & Innovation Seed Grants for 2022. Nicole Lovenduski, Shaily Rahman, and Katharine Suding will each receive funding to pursue an innovative new project with the potential to grow into future opportunities.

The CU �鶹ӰԺ Research & Innovation Office (RIO) and the Office of the Provost announced the 25 total awards last week. The Research & Innovation Seed Grants are specifically aimed to stimulate inter- and multidisciplinary work on research, scholarship and creative activity projects that either explore new areas of research with high impact and future funding potential, or pursue research, scholarship, or creative activity of high impact to arts and humanities disciplines.

Seed grants support projects that take investigators in creative, and sometimes high-risk, high-reward directions.

Nicole Lovenduski (INSTAAR/ATOC) will look for algae in the oceans by programming an imaginary satellite into an Earth System model.

Phytoplankton—algae that float in the upper layers of the ocean—not only form the base of the marine food web, but are important in Earth’s climate. Because they absorb and redistribute carbon, “They matter for the carbon cycle,” says Lovenduski.

Better estimates of how much algae is out there can help fine-tune our knowledge of climate. Techniques developed in the 1980s and 90s allow us to “see” algae in the oceans by using satellites to look at reflected light. But clouds obscure the view. And places that are the most persistently cloudy—high latitudes and right along the equator—often have the most phytoplankton.

Scientists are developing interpolation schemes, which are methods to estimating amounts of phytoplankton in a cloudy area by looking at the amounts in cloudless areas close by. The question Lovenduski’s research will help answer is which interpolation schemes work best.

For this project, Lovenduski’s team will program a pretend satellite, called an emulator, into an Earth system model. Using the emulator, they can test ideas and see which interpolation schemes work well, and which give less likely answers.

Lovenduski says, “It lays a foundation that we can build on to ask interesting questions important for the global climate system.”

Shaily Rahman (INSTAAR/GEOL) will develop geochemical techniques to help prove the existence of water on Mars.

Rahman will join a NASA-funded team laying groundwork for investigating the topic of water on Mars. Wave and delta features on the surface of Mars suggest the presence of water. The Mars Perseverance rover is gathering rock samples back to Earth, in the hope that they can help unravel the ancient history of Mars and ultimately water in the solar system.

Rahman is adding an innovative new geochemical component to the study, using isotopes of silicon to identify and interpret evidence of water-rock interactions in a stream environment.

“How do you study geochemical processes that happen on another planet?” asks Rahman. “Well, you look for terrestrial analogues on Earth that you think are similar to the environment you’d find on this other planet.” It turns out that Iceland has certain similarities to Martian geology. The state-of-the-art isotopic tracers Rahman will bring to bear can put some limits on what to expect about the degree and rate of weathering and mineral formation where water is present.

Results of the study may help guide what samples Perserverance collects. They will also feed into a proposal to acquire a sophisticated instrument to analyze these geochemical properties of rocks for the CU �鶹ӰԺ campus and Rahman’s long-term research plans.

Katharine Suding (INSTAAR/EBIO) will investigate the optimal mix of factors to boost ecosystem services of apple orchards in semi-arid regions like Colorado.

Rapid declines in biodiversity and soil health around the world suggest the need to manage agricultural ecosystems differently. Recent scientific advances show that adding diversity to agricultural systems can increase the natural benefits of ecosystems, called ecosystem services. Ecosystem services can include better crop yields, pest suppression, soil health, pollination, drought tolerance, and other benefits to the land, plants, animals, and people.

The trick is what kinds of diversity to add. There are many unknown factors in how to bring in diversity in a way that optimizes ecosystem services. Suding will take on this challenge by developing a data-driven planting plan for Colorado apple orchards.

Her team will focus on dialing in what combination of different types of apple trees and different species of plants grown underneath the tree canopy can best leverage key ecosystem services, like soil health, pollination, and reduction of chemical inputs and canopy loss. They will use the linkages they discover to design research orchards in �鶹ӰԺ County, a first step in building a network of research orchards throughout Colorado that can address these questions in the long term.

Algae in the ocean, water on Mars, and supercharged apple orchards are research topics for three INSTAAR scientists awarded RIO seed grants. The grants are designed to foster new areas of research with high impact and future funding potential.

Off

Traditional

White

Participate in a historic (and tasty) science project this fall (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today)

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Participate in a historic (and tasty) science project this fall (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/22/2021 - 00:00

This weekend, the CU �鶹ӰԺ-based �鶹ӰԺ Apple Tree Project, founded by Katherine Suding in 2017, invites the community to help preserve our local apple tree legacy by locating and collecting data on apple trees in �鶹ӰԺ backyards and on public lands.

Off

Traditional

White