Honors & Awards


  • Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education Doctoral Fellowship(EDGE) Program, Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education

Professional Affiliations and Activities


  • McNair Scholar, Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (2017 - Present)

Education & Certifications


  • Master of Science, Stanford University, Earth System Science (2022)
  • Bachelor of Science, Cornell University, B.S. in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences (2019)

Lab Affiliations


All Publications


  • Litter quality and decomposition responses to drought in a northeastern US deciduous forest OECOLOGIA Wilson, A. M., Burtis, J. C., Goebel, M., Yavitt, J. B. 2022: 247-257

    Abstract

    Even though drought impacts on tree physiology have been identified, whether drought affects leaf litter chemistry that, in turn, influences litter decay rates is still poorly understood. We compared litter quality and decomposition for two cohorts of leaves from five co-occurring seasonally deciduous tree species: Acer saccharum, Tilia americana, Quercus rubra, Quercus alba, and Ostrya virginiana. One cohort experienced a growing-season drought, and the other cohort came from the same trees in the ensuing, post-drought growing season. Leaf litter production was greater for drought litter than post-drought litter for all five species. Specific leaf area and nitrogen concentrations were 20% greater for the drought cohort than the post-drought cohort. Concentrations of non-structural carbohydrates were about 14% greater for the drought cohort, except for greater values for post-drought A. saccharum litter. Pectin in the middle lamella of leaf litter was 31% lower for the drought cohort compared to post-drought cohort. We found few differences in litter decay rates between drought and post-drought cohorts, although Q. rubra litter had more decomposition for the post-drought cohort than the drought cohort, whereas A. saccharum litter had more decomposition for the drought cohort than the post-drought cohort. Leaf litter decay rates for the drought cohort were related to litter nitrogen and lignin concentrations, whereas decay rates for the post-drought cohort were related to litter carbohydrate concentrations. Our findings suggest that the role of drought events on seasonally deciduous forest ecosystems must recognize species-specific, idiosyncratic responses in leaf litter quality and decomposition.

    View details for DOI 10.1007/s00442-022-05263-z

    View details for Web of Science ID 000855987200001

    View details for PubMedID 36129577

  • A conversation on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic careers with junior researchers NATURE COMMUNICATIONS Wilson, A., Xin, W., Saidaminov, M. 2021; 12 (1): 2097

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-22039-w

    View details for Web of Science ID 000638230300012

    View details for PubMedID 33828092

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC8026969