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
Experimental warming and its legacy effects on root dynamics following two hurricane disturbances in a wet tropical forest
Tropical forests are expected to experience unprecedented warming and increases in hurricane disturbances in the coming decades; yet, our understanding of how these productive systems, especially their belowground component, will respond to the combined effects of varied environmental changes remains empirically limited. Here we evaluated the responses of root dynamics (production, mortality, and
Response to “Connectivity and pore accessibility in models of soil carbon cycling”
Plant growth and biocrust-fire interactions across five North American deserts
Responses of soil extracellular enzyme activities and bacterial community composition to seasonal stages of drought in a semiarid grassland
Experimental warming across a tropical forest canopy height gradient reveals minimal photosynthetic and respiratory acclimation
Incorporating biogeochemistry into dryland restoration
Resistance, resilience, and recovery of dryland soil bacterial communities across multiple disturbances
Global resorption efficiencies of trace elements in leaves of terrestrial plants
Five decades of observed daily precipitation reveal longer and more variable drought events across much of the western United States
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2020 Report)
A roadmap for sampling and scaling biological nitrogen fixation in terrestrial ecosystems
Response to ‘Stochastic and deterministic interpretation of pool models’
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
Experimental warming and its legacy effects on root dynamics following two hurricane disturbances in a wet tropical forest
Tropical forests are expected to experience unprecedented warming and increases in hurricane disturbances in the coming decades; yet, our understanding of how these productive systems, especially their belowground component, will respond to the combined effects of varied environmental changes remains empirically limited. Here we evaluated the responses of root dynamics (production, mortality, and
Response to “Connectivity and pore accessibility in models of soil carbon cycling”
Plant growth and biocrust-fire interactions across five North American deserts
Responses of soil extracellular enzyme activities and bacterial community composition to seasonal stages of drought in a semiarid grassland
Experimental warming across a tropical forest canopy height gradient reveals minimal photosynthetic and respiratory acclimation
Incorporating biogeochemistry into dryland restoration
Resistance, resilience, and recovery of dryland soil bacterial communities across multiple disturbances
Global resorption efficiencies of trace elements in leaves of terrestrial plants
Five decades of observed daily precipitation reveal longer and more variable drought events across much of the western United States
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2020 Report)
A roadmap for sampling and scaling biological nitrogen fixation in terrestrial ecosystems
Response to ‘Stochastic and deterministic interpretation of pool models’
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.