About

We seek to understand general controls over ecosystem structure and function in sites that range from tropical wet forest to arctic tundra. Our lab group is unified by our interest and delight in plant form and function. We look to plant community ecology to understand the relative importance of biological versus environmental controls over ecosystem dynamics. We pursue our research in the context of global environmental change with particular focus on ecosystems that have been impacted by climate warming, nutrient deposition, altered disturbance regimes, or biological invasions.

---

Contact: Michelle C. Mack

Department of Biology and Center for Ecosystem Science and Society at Northern Arizona University
PO Box 5620
Flagstaff, AZ 86011

Email: michelle.mack@nau.edu
Google Scholar

Bonanza Creek LTER

Michelle Mack is the lead PI of the Bonanza Creek LTER (Long-Term Ecological Research) located in the Alaskan boreal forest. Dr. Xanthe Walker leads the Wildfire working group. Zach Madsen and Hillary Cooper are involved in site leadership, organization, and information management for the LTER.

Conceptual overview of the Bonanza Creek LTER proposed research. Figure by Victor Leshyk, ECOSS

Recent Publications

Baltzer et al. 2025. Overwintering fires can occur in both peatlands and upland forests with varying ecological impacts. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 9:559-564. [View]

Gallois et al. 2025. Tundra vegetation community type, not microclimate, controls asynchrony of above- and below-ground phenology. Global Change Biology. 31:e70153. [View]

Walker et al. 2024. Factors limiting the potential range expansion of lodgepole pine in Interior Alaska. Ecological Applications. 34(5):e2983. [View]

Walker et al. 2023. Shifts in ecological legacies support hysteresis of stand type conversions in boreal forests. Ecosystems. 26:1796-1805. [View]

Mack et al. 2021. Carbon loss from boreal forest wildfires offset by increased dominance of deciduous trees. Science. 372:280-283. [View]