Dr. Simon Queenborough is a botanical ecologist whose work focuses on how individuals, species, and communities (including humans) interact over ecological and evolutionary time. Over the past 20 years, he has spent extended periods in the field in Latin America and Europe, carrying out long-term research on plant population dynamics in old-growth tropical forests and managed arable farming communities, as well as working on theoretical models of population dynamics.
Current research interests include understanding mechanisms of diversity, breeding systems and resource allocation, and quantitative methods in population dynamics. His long-term research in Yasuni National Park, one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, examines individual-level reproduction as a function of climate and local environment in a variety of tree species, from long-lived shade-tolerant trees to fast-growing pioneers. Results will help us understand the effects of climate change on tropical forests.
Current teaching interests include tropical field courses, statistical analyses in the software R, and the graphical presentation of data. He has developed an online resource for teaching and learning R (www.intro2r.info).
Members of the lab work on a variety of topics, including phylogenetics and character evolution, the impacts of human interventions such as selective logging and agroforestry, and macroecological patterns of leaf traits and plant breeding systems. Interested students should consult the lab webpage.
Dr. Queenborough is the Director of the Tropical Resources Institute (TRI). His office is in 301 Prospect St. TRI provides summer research support for YSE students.