Sasha C Reed, Ph.D.
Dr. Sasha Reed is an ecologist focused on understanding how our planet's ecosystems work and what factors determine the services they provide. The study sites and methods Sasha uses are diverse, and with each of her projects she strives to provide scientific information that helps our nation address challenges, solve problems, and maximize opportunities.
Sasha seeks to provide useful information for land managers, policy-makers, and the general public. Sasha uses both basic and applied scientific approaches to improve our understanding of the fundamental controls over ecosystems, to determine how these systems respond to change, and to explore solutions for addressing relevant problems. Sasha works closely with a range of collaborators - including federal agency partners (BLM, NPS, DOE, DoD, BIA, USFS, USFWS) - in designing research studies, conducting information and technology transfer, and performing outreach activities. Some of her primary research interests include understanding how drought and increasing temperatures affect ecosystems, exploring a diversity of energy options for meeting national demand, assessing the consequences of exotic plant invasion and ways to combat them, and establishing novel management options for increased effectiveness and efficiency in restoration and reclamation. Sasha attempts to conduct research that is innovative, collaborative, and useful.
Professional Experience
Research Ecologist, USGS, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT: May 2008 - present
Research Ecologist, USGS-SCEP Program, Moab, UT: 2005 - 2007 summers only
Fellow, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship: Awarded April 2003; deferred until September 2005-May 2008
Fellow, National Science Foundation IGERT Fellowship, Carbon Climate and Society Initiative (CCSI): August 2003-August 2005.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Biogeochemistry, 2002-2008: University of Colorado at Boulder, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research (INSTAAR).
B.A. in Organic Chemistry, 1993-1997: Colgate University, Department of Chemistry, Hamilton, NY. Graduated magna cum laude.
Honors and Awards
Elected Member-At-Large, Ecological Society of America (ESA). August 2020-August 2022.
Ecological Society of America (ESA) Early Career Fellow. March 2016.
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). October 2011.
Star Award, Department of the Interior. October 2010, May 2000.
Graduate Student Research and Creative Works Award, University of Colorado at Boulder. May 2008.
USGS Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) Fellowship. June-August of 2006 & 2007.
Student Policy Award, Ecological Society of America (ESA). September 2006.
AAAS Program for Excellence in Science. August 2006.
Lawrence Award. April 1996.
Phi Ea Sigma University Honor Society Awarded Membership. April 1994-May 1997.
Phi Eta Sigma Aid Committee Selected Board Member. September 1995-May 1997.
Barry Goldwater Award Nominee. November 1994.
Science and Products
Soil warming effects on tropical forests with highly weathered soils
Changes in belowground biodiversity during ecosystem development
On the shoulders of giants: Continuing the legacy of large-scale ecosystem manipulation experiments in Puerto Rico
There is a long history of experimental research in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico. These experiments have addressed questions about biotic thresholds, assessed why communities vary along natural gradients, and have explored forest responses to a range of both anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic disturbances. Combined, these studies cover many of the major disturbances that affect
Seed bank community and soil texture relationships in a cold desert
Executive summary. In Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2): A Sustained Assessment Report
Using research networks to create the comprehensive datasets needed to assess nutrient availability as a key determinant of terrestrial carbon cycling
Reductions in tree performance during hotter droughts are mitigated by shifts in nitrogen cycling
Biocrusts enhance soil fertility and Bromus tectorum growth, and interact with warming to influence germination
Spatially explicit patterns in a dryland's soil respiration and relationships with climate, whole plant photosynthesis and soil fertility
Species-specific nitrogenase activity in lichen-dominated biological soil crusts from the Colorado Plateau, USA
Biocrusts: The living skin of the Earth
Beyond traditional ecological restoration on the Colorado Plateau
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Soil warming effects on tropical forests with highly weathered soils
Changes in belowground biodiversity during ecosystem development
On the shoulders of giants: Continuing the legacy of large-scale ecosystem manipulation experiments in Puerto Rico
There is a long history of experimental research in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico. These experiments have addressed questions about biotic thresholds, assessed why communities vary along natural gradients, and have explored forest responses to a range of both anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic disturbances. Combined, these studies cover many of the major disturbances that affect
Seed bank community and soil texture relationships in a cold desert
Executive summary. In Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2): A Sustained Assessment Report
Using research networks to create the comprehensive datasets needed to assess nutrient availability as a key determinant of terrestrial carbon cycling
Reductions in tree performance during hotter droughts are mitigated by shifts in nitrogen cycling
Biocrusts enhance soil fertility and Bromus tectorum growth, and interact with warming to influence germination
Spatially explicit patterns in a dryland's soil respiration and relationships with climate, whole plant photosynthesis and soil fertility
Species-specific nitrogenase activity in lichen-dominated biological soil crusts from the Colorado Plateau, USA
Biocrusts: The living skin of the Earth
Beyond traditional ecological restoration on the Colorado Plateau
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.